The Dish Called Love
by Shokugeki no DxD
Summary: It's been a little under two months since the trials at Hokkaido, by supporting each other, the rebels of Totsuki survived Central's onslaught, making it past the final hurdle of their first year. As the second year approaches, new feelings emerge, as friendships strengthen, and hearts break, while Central's darkness lingers, waiting to strike. Post manga chapter 180
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello! Welcome to my very first uploaded fanfiction. I don't want to take up too much of your time, and I don't expect to have many author's notes in the beginning of future chapters, (if needed they'll probably stay at the end), but as this is my first, I thought I'd make an exception.**

 **Just so all of you know, this story takes place around two months, after the most recent manga chapters, so the 180's. I'll try and adjust if necessary and if possible to future manga details, but ultimately it will divert from the main series, as all fanfiction does. There will be many ships in this series so be prepared. By the way, there's a chance this could be bumped up to an M rating in the future if things progress in that direction.**

 **Also, keep in mind that certain things have happened between the manga and my story so that's why certain characters may seem slightly different at first, but don't worry, the gaps will be filled in time in the beginning chapters as you'll see. Anyway, no need to keep you any further. More major details can be found on my profile. Happy reading and see you at the bottom!**

 **I don't own Shokugeki no Soma (sadly)**

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 _"_ _Thank you…Soma-kun."_

Soma's eyes opened. "The same dream again." Soma said aloud. He'd been having this dream almost daily for a few weeks now. It was really a memory more than anything. A recent memory of a night he'd never forget. The dream usually varied in how it played out the scenes of that night, but one scene always remained exactly the same. The final scene, with a few short words directed at him that, to anyone else would have seemed like nothing, but to him they held such intense feelings and emotions, awakening something within him that he still didn't understand.

He'll never forget the face of the speaker of those words that night. Her deep pink eyes had paralyzed Soma in a way they never had before, with a gaze that felt like it burned through his entire being. Her honey blonde hair, swaying from the nighttime breeze, seemed to glow as it absorbed the surrounding moonlight. She had a smile on her face that evoked the feeling that she was truly smiling for the first time in her whole life. That face…her expression…those words…that moment is the sole reason Soma had been continuously waking up at times that rivaled even Isshiki-senpai's internal biological alarm clock.

A mind that was once primarily filled with notions of surpassing his father and an encyclopedia of uniquely delicious and terrifyingly disgusting recipes now had to make room for the vivid image of that night. New feelings and emotions would burn within Soma whenever the scene played out in his mind. They were so intense that they would often distract him to the point where he was having a variety of mishaps, whether it was trivial mistakes while cooking, completely driving past his classes and showing up late or even being unable to fall asleep at night.

Despite all of that however, and despite how odd it felt to him, Soma could honestly say that he didn't mind these feelings. In fact, in a way, he sometimes felt like he enjoyed them. It was like a fire was lit within him that he hadn't felt before and it gave him energy he never knew he had. Even the idea of beating his father didn't have the same type of impact as this. The closest thing he could think of, albeit before it was to a lesser degree, was his more recent goal of making that same girl say, with wholehearted honesty, that his food was in fact delicious. Since that night however, thinking of that goal has also given him similar intense feelings. Actually, ever since that night most thoughts and encounters involving the subject of his dream, Nakiri Erina, were starting to elicit similar reactions in Soma, but the memory of that night still had the most impact. Although he doesn't understand why and he doesn't understand what is happening, he couldn't help but admit, it was rather exciting.

Finally deciding to stand up, as he was now fully awake, Soma glanced at his clock. "5:00 A.M. huh? Well, guess I should start getting used to this." He said to his empty room.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." A voice whispered from above.

"OWAAAA!" Soma yelled while jumping back and falling back onto his bed. "Isshiki-senpai!"

"Good morning Soma-kun." Isshiki said cheerfully while jumping down from the ceiling, clad in nothing but his pink apron as usual.

"What are you doing so early in the morning? Trying to scare a person to death? Stop doing that!" Soma breathed while trying to calm down.

"Now, now Soma-kun. I didn't even wake you up this time. In fact, I'm rather shocked you're awake. I only awoke some minutes ago myself. Are you having trouble sleeping or are you transitioning to the early bird routine like myself? I assure you, you won't regret it if you do. The feeling of the sun's impact on one's naked body as it rises over the horizon. The sweat formed from tilling the soil at the wee hours of the day, the scent of nature, the birds chirping, the water flowing, the glory of youth Soma-kun, glorious youth, do you understand? The freshness of the morning breeze between your-"

 _"_ _Oh boy, he's getting out of hand again."_ Soma thought. "Ahh I understand, I understand." Soma interrupted. "And no that's not what I was doing. I just have had a lot on my mind recently and so I've been waking up earlier than usual, that's all. Thought I'd work on some recipes or something to take my mind off things."

"Hmmmm." Isshiki inspected Soma with a raised brow. "I see. Well it makes sense after all. A lot certainly has happened. What with Central's primary goal being the removal of the people and ideals revolving around our dormitory here, it certainly is a trying time. But, we can't let that get to us. They've also seemed to be rather quiet recently since their overall defeat at Hokkaido anyway. Granted, we can't let our guards down, now can we?" Isshiki smirked.

"Well, if we did that, we wouldn't be worthy enough to be Polar Star residents now would we?" Soma smirked back.

Soma remembered. During the trials at Hokkaido, while the majority of students, those who have given in to Azami's dictatorial reign over Totsuki, had simple challenges, the "rebels" as Soma and his friends were dubbed, were forced to face off in shokugekis against the Elite Ten.

Generally speaking, this would have been a disaster for him and probably all of his friends if they had faced some of the higher up members. However, a combination of circumstances or rather miracles ended up saving his group. First, the rigorous teachings from Erina proved wondrous for all of them. Then, the unexpected aid of the three displaced former Elite Ten members, Isshiki, Kuga, and Megishima, who secretly showed up at the last minute to our various Shokugekis, proved to be lifesaving with their assistance and guidance.

Also, not all of his friends had to face a member, only some did, those they considered the strongest of the rebels, namely those of us who made it to the Autumn Elections, so himself, Ryo, Alice, Takumi, Megumi, and Hisako. Mimasaka was not faced as they considered his observational methods to be less threatening than the full blown creativity of the rest of us since if we were gone, he would only have the Azami teachings to copy. The idea was that if the seven of us were expelled, the rest would either fall in line or leave the school.

Another factor was that some of the top seats, including the first seat, Tsukasa Eishi, and the second, Kobayashi Rindo, did not take part in the shokugekis, probably because they just didn't feel it was necessary or care to. Rindo seemed like she was having more fun watching anyway. Those original members who did, didn't take the challenge too seriously, just like Eizan hadn't when he faced him, thankfully.

The final factor was that the three people who were chosen to replace the vacated seats who did most of the battling, like Hayama, were not quite at Elite Ten quality compared to the original members they replaced and so his friends were able to pull through. They made it past the final hurdle of their first year. They were now in an interim period. Their first year was ending and the last few classes were really filler and the third years were about to graduate.

That's right. He had beaten Hayama in a rematch, this time with expulsion on the line. Of course there was no way he could turn him down, but at the same time the victory fell flat for Soma. Hayama was, in short, not himself. Although he cooked as if he was in rare form, it's almost as if his motivation or drive changed. The usual fire in his eyes was long gone and instead was replaced with a rather hollow, dark, and brutal feeling. He still hadn't figured out what happened, as he hadn't seen Hayama since the Moon Festival, before Azami took over, but he had the feeling it had to do with the Shiomi Seminar.

"Hahaha, exactly Soma-kun. Exactly. Well, if you haven't got much to do right now, how about helping me in the fields? I was actually on my way to wake Megumi-chan, but since you're awake, maybe I'll let her sleep, eh?" Isshiki smiled.

"EH?! You're actually going to let Tadokoro sleep? Are you alright Senpai?" Soma questioned.

"Quite alright. I'm simply looking out for my kohai."

"Eh?! Looking out for your kohai? That's new. What about me? You're always waking me up. And what about Shun, Yuki, Marui and the others?" Soma retorted.

"Fufufu. Well, I can't always bother Megumi. Besides she is…" Isshiki paused, seeming to be deep in thought. "Well anyway, it doesn't matter. She's an early riser, so I'm sure she'll be up soon enough. See you outside in a few minutes Soma-kuuuunn!" Isshiki said sang from inside the ceiling, which he somehow transported himself to without Soma realizing.

"Hey wait a minute Senpai, I didn't agree to help yet!" Soma yelled to no avail as Isshiki had already crawled away. Soma sighed, but couldn't help but smile. This was typical of Isshiki to do.

Still, he couldn't help but notice the slight change in his actions towards Megumi, and not just right now either. Well, she definitely had it tough in Hokkaido, so that's probably why. If it wasn't for Isshiki, the former seventh seat's help and guidance on how to prepare a dish on par with her competition, she would probably have lost to the mysterious Central member that replaced Isshiki. As it is she had a panel of three judges to deal with, as opposed to just one of Dojima Gin like himself, and it came down to a tiebreaker vote from the third judge who just could not decide, so they left it as a tie and let her stay on as a technicality of sorts. It was an indirect victory as she wasn't expelled, so it worked out, but it still wasn't a straight win.

-0-

Soma figured he had no choice but to help Isshiki and that working in the fields would take his mind off of other, enchanting distractions, so he got ready and made his way outside. When he reached the first floor, he caught the scent of a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, assuming it was another early riser, perhaps Tadokoro or Fumio, but when he saw that it was in fact Erina, well to say it caught him by surprise is a bit of an understatement.

"Ah, Eri-…Nak…Nakiri?!" He stuttered.

"Ehh?! Som-…Yukihira-kun?!" She replied awkwardly.

There it is. That slight glaze of awkwardness that's been casted over them since that night a few weeks ago. Neither of them ever addressed this awkwardness and usually it faded after a few minutes if they were alone or didn't arise if they were in a group. Still, it's definitely something that wasn't present before the memory in his dreams occurred. He didn't really understand the reason why however. Only that seeing the honey blonde ojou-sama, while igniting some intense and fiery emotions within him, had an almost opposite effect outwardly, resulting in this initial awkward nervousness.

Soma noticed she was still in her sleepwear, a long flowing turquoise nightgown that seemed like it wouldn't look good on anyone but her. It fit just right, clinging to her in the best ways possible. He continued to study her, his eyes tracing over her body. She had rather slim arms and a slim waist, slender hips and legs, but at the same time very striking curves due to her voluptuous bust and backside. Her blonde hair flowed down, looking as elegant as ever, despite her having clearly just woken up. Her sideburns had their signature curl to them that always had him wondering, granted he wasn't one to talk with his spiky hair style.

Finally reaching her eyes, those wondrously pink eyes that woke him up less than an hour ago, he caught her intense gaze staring right back at him as their eyes connected. At this point, a wave of realization hit Soma as his body began to heat up, causing his face to redden exponentially. He had just been dissecting Erina with his eyes as if she were one of his intricate recipes, or as if he was about to enjoy a delicious meal. It also didn't help that at some point, without realizing it, the gap between them lessened, going from a room's length apart to merely a few feet apart.

 _"_ _WHAT THE HELL WAS I JUST DOING?!"_ He screamed mentally.

Unbeknownst to Soma, Erina was having the same internal meltdown as her face turned crimson as well. She too was guilty of analyzing the boy before her, like a hawk about to devour its prey. She noticed all too well how toned his body was and how it had become even more so since she met him. He was wearing loose jeans to cover the toned legs she knew he had and a t-shirt that stuck just enough to his body for her to get a glimpse of the outline of his toned chest and abs. His hands were larger and coarser than hers. Various memories of those hands deftly preparing many of Soma's creations flashed before her, only to be interrupted by the thought of what they would feel like on her own body. She noticed his spiky red hair that she had a strong desire to run her fingers through. Finally, his eyes that were like pools of molten gold that gave her, quite recently at least, the feeling she'd drown in them if she stared too long.

 _"_ _AHHHHHHHH! WHAT WAS THAT JUST NOW?!"_ She screamed mentally. _"It was like my body and mind acted on their own…"_

Both of them, now a deep scarlet after realizing what they were doing, sprang back a bit, yet still remained quiet.

Finally, Soma broke the silence, choosing to ignore what just transpired. and change the subject completely. "Ah, so you're cooking, eh Nakiri? As expected that the God's Tongue would only be satiated from her own cooking." Soma teased lightly to break the tension, the redness slowly fading from his face.

Grateful for the ease in tension, but also slightly irked at his comment regardless, Erina pouted. "Hmpf. But of course Yukihira-kun. It's true that I have been subjected to quite a few rather unique dishes during my stay here at the Polar Star Dorm, and although initially they were unacceptable, many I now consider acceptable. However, when it comes to certain tastes and desires, my own skill in the kitchen is necessary to satisfy what I'm looking for."

"Ohhh, and what is milady looking for so early this morning?" Soma teased back while inspecting the ingredients around her and the pot on the stove, the source of the delectable smell.

"Why something delicious of course." Erina smirked back. Getting into the banter now.

"Delicious eh? Then shouldn't I be the one cooking the food? I'm sure my food meets the definition of delicious, don't you agree? Many a shokugeki judge have said so after all." Soma smiled back with mischievousness in his eyes, baiting her.

"HAH! Delicious? Don't make me laugh. That plebian food of yours can never reach up to my level and can never satisfy my God's Tongue." She snapped back, but with a sense of amusement and mirth in her own eyes.

Erina knew, she had changed, ever since her father returned and maybe even before that. Where once she used to become annoyed or frustrated by just being around Soma, thinking he was looking down on her or toying with her, now there was a comfortable feeling. She could sit in a room with just him and never feel a single ounce of displeasure, in fact his presence seemed to be having the opposite effect as of late. She could even laugh at his silly antics of comparing salmon eggs to stars. Perhaps it was because her father had brought her back to a fearful and vulnerable state where she no longer could hold her head high behind the walls of pride she had built up. Perhaps it was the revelation about who Soma's father really was and just how wrong she was about him or perhaps the change was simply gradual since she first met Soma. She didn't know, but it didn't matter. The fact was, she rather preferred him being around her now and their banters had a lighthearted feeling to them now. Whether she says his food is delicious is another story, as she still has some pride left. She won't let him win that easily.

"Hmmm, well someday I hope you're prepared to eat those words because the day will definitely come when you eat my food and have no other words left to use, but 'It's delicious.' You'll see." He replied slyly.

"Doubtful Yukihira-kun. Extremely doubtful." She retorted haughtily. "So, what caused you to wake up so early? Isshiki-senpai watching you sleep again?" Erina giggled.

"Yeesh." Soma shivered. "He probably was now that I think about it. He scared the hell out of me a few minutes after I got out of bed. But no, he wasn't the reason I woke up early. Just a lot on my mind I guess." He said, dodging the question. Telling her that she was the reason he woke up early probably wouldn't go over well. "What about you? Did your craving for that miso soup you're making rattle you awake?" He teased.

"Har har har, very funny." She replied sarcastically. "And no, that's not why. I just…also had a lot on my mind." She said quietly, seeming to be deep in thought. Soma wasn't the only one having recurring dreams of that night. Except her dreams didn't always end well. At times a darkness with the face of her father would invade her dreams and pull her back into the dark room from her childhood. Still there were times when two bright golden eyes would pierce the dark shroud and a hand would reach through for the little five-year old Erina to take. This morning's dream was the first time the little girl actually took the hand, and at that moment a blindingly bright light surrounded her, but also woke her up in the process.

"Anyway, since I couldn't sleep, I thought I'd try out some new breakfast recipes. I assume you're also doing the same?" She questioned with a slight eagerness in her voice, hoping he might stay and cook as well.

"Oh…I…well, Isshiki-senpai asked me if I could help him in the fields. He has a new strain of potatoes he's growing if I recall." He replied. "Although in truth I actually wanted to try some recipes as well, but you can't really say no to Isshiki-senpai." He grinned sheepishly.

"Ohh, I see." Erina said, her expression faltering. Another idea came to her mind however and she perked up. "Are you hungry?" She asked excitedly, maybe a little too excited.

"Well, I haven't eaten yet, but I thought about making something after helping Isshiki-senpai."

"After? Hmm, okay. Uhm…if-if you'd li-like…" She fidgeted looking away from Soma. "I-I can make something for you when y-you're do-done?" She finished blushing again.

"For me? Really?" Soma said, taken aback.

Now realizing why he's surprised and what she just said and how those words can be taken, Erina began to have a panic attack in her mind. _"WHAT DID I JUST SAY? This isn't some shoujo manga. I just offered to make him a personal meal like I'm his girlfriend…girlfriend…Soma's girlf-KYAAAA!" She internally screamed. "What's wrong with me?! Why am I, the Nakiri Erina, holder of the God's Tongue thinking that?! Somebody kill me now."_ Before she could take back what she said Soma interrupted her.

"Well, if you're okay with doing that for me then…I wouldn't mind." He said, while holding a hand on the back of his neck and also looking away now with a slightly red tinge on his cheeks.

It was as if the panic mode switch in Erina's mind was turned off by Soma's words. Not really able to speak, she could only whisper a soft "Okay" and immediately turned away from him, feigning that she was cooking, but in reality just hiding her increasingly reddening face.

Soma decided to take the opportunity to leave before something else embarrassing happened, but made sure to give an audible "I'm looking forward to it!" on his way out the door. He could've sworn he heard some pans clatter on the floor soon after, but decided to just keep going outside.

Little did these two know, a certain second year in the ceiling above, clad in only an apron, was observing this entire exchange from the moment Soma walked in. His eyes were brimming with curiosity and amusement. _"How interesting Soma-kun, Erinacchi, it seems like food might not be the only thing on your minds anymore. Ahhh sweet youth."_ Isshiki mused. He can't say he's surprised though. There has definitely been a change in the dynamic between them, especially over the last few weeks. Not to mention, he always suspected that there was more than one underlying reason that Erina would always get flustered by Soma. In fact, he was rather glad if his hypothesis turned true...very glad for reasons he didn't want to ponder on now.

-0-

After Erina flustered at Soma's departing comment, resulting in a mishap with a few pans, Isshiki decided to silently jump down from the ceiling behind Erina, who was now picking up said pans.

"Good morning Erinacchiiii!" Isshiki sang.

"KYAAAAAA!" Erina screamed while dropping the pans once again. "Iss-Isshiki-senpai!?" She panted, in shock.

"Yo!" He said smiling brightly, as if it was perfectly okay to scare a person to death.

"Grrrr, Senpai, stop doing that!" She snapped frustratingly.

"Fufufufu, Erinacchi is kawaii. Fufufu, you're just like Soma-kun. He had the same reaction." Isshiki giggled. When it comes to teasing his kohai, there was no senpai better at it than Isshiki. Whether it was someone carefree and oblivious like Soma, timid and cute like Megumi, or prideful and dishonest with her feelings like Erina. He didn't care, he'd get a rise out of all of them, while watching over them and looking out for them at the same time.

As expected, mentioning Soma and relating him to Erina caused the blonde to revert back to her flustered state from a few moments ago. He had to admit, this newer Erina without her old walls up was rather adorable when made fun of. She fit right in with Megumi and Yuki and the other girls now in terms of how they reacted, usually at least, sometimes if you pushed her too far, things could get ugly

"Jeez go away Isshiki-Senpai!" Erina snapped while trying to return to her cooking.

"Aww, and here I was just wanting to know what you were going to make dear Soma-kun after his long morning in the fields. Based on your exchange a few moments ago, I take it the dish will be extra lovey dovey just for Soma-kun right?" Isshiki sang gleefully.

"Gahh…" Erina, now beet red, choked on the audacity of his comment and was at a loss for words. Suddenly her eyes darkened and her face contorted into that of someone about to commit murder. "Sen-pai!" Erina sang.

 _"_ _Uh oh, I pushed her too far. Ooops."_ Isshiki chuckled internally. Whenever he teased Erina too much, she gave off a killing intent. It reminded him of their days on the Elite Ten together. Usually, it was either her or Kuga who gave off this murderous feeling if you pushed them too far. The only difference was, now that she was at Polar Star and without her older inhibiting walls, she didn't hold back too much anymore.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Erina yelled waving a steaming hot ladle at him since she couldn't find a knife.

"Well, gotta go Erinacchi, Soma-kun must be waiting for me. We'll talk about the dish later. Bye, Bye!" He cheered with a wink as he dodged the ladle and other objects she was throwing at him and made his way out the door. He chuckled as he heard Erina yell threats involving lighting his fundoshi on fire or trapping him in the ceiling. "Ahh glorious youth, sweet glorious youth." Isshiki said to the outside world as he made his way to the fields where Soma should be waiting.

"Finally Isshiki-senpai. I thought you'd be out here by now. I wouldn't have been out here this early if I knew you were going to take this long." Soma said, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Ahh, sorry Soma-kun. I got a little held up in the kitchen fufufu." He snickered, still thinking about what just happened a few moments ago.

"What's this about the kitchen?" Soma perked up at hearing about the kitchen knowing all too well who else was inside. "You didn't scare Nakiri again, did you?"

"I'd never scare any of my precious kohai." Isshiki replied with the straightest face possible.

"Eh! Liar! You scared me an hour ago and who knows who else will have to suffer today." Soma retorted.

"Fufu, anyway Soma-kun…" Isshiki approached Soma with a sincere expression and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck! I'm rooting for you!" Isshiki continued while using his other hand to give a thumbs up.

"Huh?! Good luck with what?!" Soma questioned.

 _"_ _How…frustrating…"_ Isshiki thought, his grip on Soma tightening slightly, barely noticeable, a flash of annoyance and anger flickering over his face, before his mood changed again a second later. "The challenges of youth Soma-kun. Youth. So let's get started, shall we?" Isshiki said brightly, turning to grab a nearby bag.

"What? Wait a minute Senpai…" Soma questioned, wondering if he just imagined Isshiki's face changing. But before Soma could press on, Isshiki had cheerfully shoved a huge bag of seeds in his hands and instructed him to begin planting them in one of the vacant nearby fields. With that Soma had no choice, but to resolve himself to the intense morning ahead, his only fuel being thoughts of the mysterious dish made just for him, that will be waiting when he returns.

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 **I hope Isshiki-senpai is okay. Soma and Erina are cute aren't they? Ahhh, youth. Hopefully the manga hurries up and brings those two together.**

 **Anyway, what'd you guys think for my first time? Let me know.**

 **Oh and I've noticed in many translations of manga chapters as well as certain stories, Soma is spelled either Soma or Souma, I know the reason is because when you spell it like this: "Soma," it's actually supposed to be like this "** **Sōma," in order to double the ohhh sound, but making that** **ō is rather annoying without copy and past or alt functions. Spelling Souma with o and u doubles the sound and that's also how you write it in Japanese using romanji. The same goes for Rindou's name. So you might see me switch off in the spelling depending on if I think it looks better as Soma or Souma. I might change it to Souma permanently after the next chapter though, as chapter 2 is already basically done, so maybe in 3.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello and thank you all for the kind reviews, follows, favorites, views, and attention you have given my story! It was really unexpected. I apologize for the initial author's note, as I have heard some people tend to find them annoying, but I figured it was necessary for thanking you all. From now on I'll try and keep them all at the bottom, in case it is very important. Just know that I do read every review and really appreciate them all, as well as any feedback. I'm hesitant at responding directly to each of you as I'm not sure people enjoy that.**

 **Happy reading and see you at the bottom.**

 **I still don't own Shokugeki no Soma, how sad. (Am I supposed to keep writing this? Never really knew)**

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Tadokoro Megumi had just woken up from an uneasy sleep. She became used to it in recent days and thought it was probably because of the various ordeals she and her "rebellious" friends have gone though. Having the leading faction of their school out for their heads has really taken its toll on them after all. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it.

She decided to do a little early morning research on recipes for various dishes known to relax people, hoping that they would help her sleep. She made a mental note to ask Hisako for advice and decided to think on if there was anything else on her mind that could be causing her to have problems with sleeping.

Thoughts of barely making it through the trials in Hokkaido weren't doing her any good, but she couldn't help but wonder if something else was bothering her. The fact that she made it through her trials in Hokkaido was actually rather uplifting to her, even if she only made it because of a tie. It was far more than she could have hoped for given the circumstances she had to deal with and she was actually pretty content with the results. She survived to fight another day and that's all that mattered. She'd get stronger. She knew she wasn't on the same level as Soma and Ryo yet, but she still had made a name for herself and underwent a huge transformation thanks to her friend's support and even more so because of the confidence Soma instilled in her. This was probably a different kind of uneasiness, now that she thought about it.

 _"_ _Soma..."_ She thought. Thinking about the spiky red-haired boy always brought out a lot of emotions from deep within her. He became one of her best friends and is honestly one of the primary reasons she made it this far. If it wasn't for him, she would have probably failed Chappelle-sensei's first test in the beginning of their year, not to mention the various ordeals at the training camp, what with Soma saving her by challenging Shinomiya-senpai and all.

At that time though, Soma was someone she admired and respected. His inability to waver under pressure or the various insults thrown his way. His steadfast and straightforward attitude always taking people head on. His diligent and hardworking mindset allowing him to test and create a great variety of dishes and recipes. Really everything about him Megumi admired and respected. If it wasn't for him, she would never have found her courage and her own skills in time to stand on her own.

However, as time went on she knew her feelings were changing. She knew there was more to it. It wasn't until sometime after the Autumn election preliminaries where she realized that Soma had become far more to her than just a best friend. She remembered thinking of the advice her mother gave her about cooking, that she should cook while thinking about someone dear to her. That was how she was able to make it through the preliminaries and face Ryo head on in the quarterfinal rounds, and it was Soma she was thinking of.

At first she wasn't sure what that meant. She knew he was her best friend, but she couldn't say the feelings were the same when she thought of some of her other best friends like Yuki or Ryoko. Eventually she realized the truth though, and it was that realization that helped her get through Hokkaido.

 _"_ _I love Soma-kun…"_ Just that thought alone brought butterflies to her stomach and made her feel like she could fly. This was her first genuine love and it was something she had never experienced before.

 _"_ _Then why am I so uneasy?"_ She wondered. That was the question that had been bugging her as of late.

Her interactions with Soma post-realization really didn't change very much. Thankfully, aside from a few choice embarrassing and clumsy moments, not too unusual for her, she was able to keep her cool around him. Granted, there were definitely many times where she found herself just gazing at him intensely during class or here at the dorms, because let's face it, he's a very attractive boy. Her body and mind didn't have any trouble reminding her of that, whether it was through daydreaming about him in class or even seeing him in her dreams where things became far more risqué and erotic than her innocent mind could sometimes handle.

 _"_ _I'm probably reading too many shoujo manga."_ She pondered. Still though, all of those thoughts and feelings made her feel wonderful in more ways than one, so she knew that they weren't the cause of her uneasiness either. Yet, she had the strange feeling Soma was the cause in some other way, she just couldn't explain why.

 _"_ _Well, I guess I'll just have to figure it out as I go. I can't keep thinking about it now."_ With that, Megumi decided to get ready and make her way downstairs to make herself some breakfast.

-0-

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Megumi found Fumio, Yuki, and Ibusaki in the kitchen tasting something.

"Good morning everyone!" Megumi said. She also noticed Erina cooking on the other side of the room.

"Good morning Megumi-chan!" Yuki cheered upon seeing her.

"Getting an early start again, eh Megumi?" Fumio asked.

Ibusaki gave a silent nod in acknowledgement and Erina appeared too immersed in the small pot of food she was cooking to notice her.

"Yes Fumio-san. I was thinking of incorporating some of the fresh vegetables I've been growing into a new dish." She replied. "Is Erina-chan okay?" She added quietly so as not to disturb Erina.

"I…I think so." Yuki hesitated. "She seemed okay a few minutes ago when she gave us some of this delicious miso soup, but then she became very interested in what we thought and if there was anything off about the taste or if it could be improved."

"EHHH?! Really? Erina-chan said that?" Megumi asked in awe. _"So they were tasting Erina-chan's food?!"_

"It's shocking right?! Erinacchi never doubts her cooking or asks anyone besides Hisako to taste her food. Plus, it was delicious as you'd expect anyway. I was really happy though." Yuki laughed excitedly. "I told her that even though it tasted really good, if she wanted to, I had a few things she could add in. I just needed to find where they ran off to hehehe." Yuki added in a sinister tone.

"EHH?! Yuki?!" Megumi questioned.

"It's too early to be slaughtering livestock Yuki." Shun stated bluntly.

"Aww, you're no fun Ibusaki-kun." Yuki pouted. "She unsurprisingly turned down my idea anyway though. Although I thought I heard her mutter about adding something a bit savory. Anyway, after thanking me she went back to cooking over there and hasn't said anything since."

"Erina-chan…" Megumi whispered. "I hope she's okay."

"Fufu. My, my, my, such a lively house this has become again." Fumio laughed, while examining Erina. "Don't worry, I think Erina-chan will be just fine. We're only human after all, and seeking advice from others is only natural, no matter how great our skills may be. I think Erina-chan is finally getting accustomed to that fact and reaching out on her own." Fumio smiled reassuringly.

Megumi and Yuki made sounds of agreement at her words while Ibusaki nodded silently.

 _"_ _That's true, and Erina-chan really has changed quite a bit over the last few months, especially since she's been staying here, so I guess it's only natural."_ Megumi thought.

She knew that with everything that's happened, it had arguably the greatest impact on Erina. Erina's father coming back and taking over, forming Central, and now targeting her and her friends. She could she the fear in Erina's eyes that time Nakiri Azami arrived at the dorm. Hearing about everything he had done to his daughter, Erina definitely had it worse than any of them. Megumi couldn't help but think that she'd rather be expelled from Totsuki than experience what Erina has. That only made her admire Erina that much more however, not just because of what she went through, but also how she was now working her hardest to fight against her father at every step of the way.

Erina had become a very dear friend to Megumi during the last few months of her time living in their dorm. She could safely say she was one of her best friends actually. They'd even hang out together often, just the two of them, and discuss shoujo manga and other things. Erina seemed to have an insatiable appetite for the stuff, but Megumi knew the feeling and was happy to lend her some from her large collection.

She remembered the various times they all had "girls only" parties and would finally get to act like girls their own age. They'd talk about a lot of things, whether it was gossiping about school rumors or celebrity icons and chefs they admired. They'd talk about romance and what it would be like to date someone while at school. Ikumi, Alice, and Hisako would also come over and join in. Even Fumio would join in occasionally and fill their heads with her own girlish tales of the drama and love of her youth. It took a little while for Erina to warm up and become fully engaged at the parties, but eventually she did.

She remembered a particularly heartfelt moment at one of their "girls only" parties where Erina had thanked all of them for everything they had done for her and said how much they all meant to her. She even asked all of them, who weren't already doing so, to call her by her first name as true friends. Of course this ended up in a teary-eyed group hug of a very embarrassed and flustered Erina, who, also teary eyed, was trying to get away in a tsundere-like fashion, but eventually gave in. The moment didn't last too long though as Ryoko produced another bottle of her signature "juice" and Alice also produced an equally potent liquid of her own creation. Needless to say, they didn't get to sleep until past dawn the following day.

Megumi giggled at the thought. "Well, I'm going to go check on her nonetheless." Megumi smiled and made her way to the other side of the large kitchen where Erina was still very deeply immersed in her cooking.

"Uhm…Erina-chan?" Megumi approached.

Erina jumped a bit, startled out of her monk-like focus on the small pot in front of her. "Ahh, Megumi?!" Erina said a little startled. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you come in. I got a little caught up with…" She said glancing at the small pot. "Something I was working on." She finished moving as if to obscure the small pot from Megumi's view.

"Ahh, no I'm sorry." Megumi said giving a slight apologetic bow. "I called out earlier and you didn't reply. The others said you seemed to be acting a little off, so I just wanted to check on you. I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, that's okay. You didn't do anything wrong." Erina waved her hands at the bowing girl. As strong and confident as Megumi had become, Erina knew she still had certain tendencies, and one of those happened to be apologizing when she was without fault. "Really, it's my fault. I've just been a little jumpy and on edge today."

"On edge? Jumpy?" Megumi asked raising a brow. "What's the matter?"

"Ahh it's nothing really. It's a little embarrassing, but a certain no good, idiotic, disgustingly annoying, semi-nudist senpai has no decency when it comes to his antics towards his juniors." Erina said annoyed.

"Mhmm. That's Isshiki-senpai alright." Megumi replied, now understanding exactly what was going on. Erina was still not as used to Isshiki-senpai's antics as her fellow dorm mates were.

"I understand exactly what you mean. How he starts whispering your name to you from the ceiling as you are about to fall asleep or how you wake up during the night or early morning to his voice, asking you for help with one of his projects outside or just to keep him company. Or maybe it's him reading to you, from the ceiling, various ingredients to a complicated recipe at 2 A.M. or perhaps it's him giving a lengthy summary on the history of fundoshis through the speaking tubes by your bed. Or perhaps-" Megumi listed to Erina as if this were normal for her, only to see that she had a look of shock on her face.

"Eh? Was I wrong?" Megumi questioned curiously.

Erina's expression softened and changed to one of concern. Placing a hand on Megumi's shoulder, Erina gave her a mixed look of pity and worry. "I'm so sorry Megumi." Moving in to hug her blue haired friend she continued. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry. It'll be okay."

"EHH!? Erina-chan?! Eh?" Megumi said, shocked at Erina's actions.

"It'll be okay. That fundoshi monster isn't here now. I'll protect you." Erina added hugging her tighter.

"EHH!?" Megumi continued, still in shock.

"Did somebody say fundoshi?" As if on cue, a recognizable voice whispered to the two girls, close enough that they could feel it on their ears.

"EEEEEEEEEK!" Both girls yelped at the voice and jumped apart. Obviously it was none other than the subject of their conversation, Isshiki.

"Mouuu! Isshiki-senpai, stop doing that!" Megumi snapped at the second year.

"GRRRR…ISS-HI-KI-SEN-PAI! THAT'S THE SECOND TIME THIS MORNING!" Erina yelled, having already had her fill of the second year's antics only an hour ago.

"I'm terribly sorry Tadokoro-chan, Erinacchi." Isshiki bowed apologetically before the blonde could attack him again. "I just couldn't help but overhear that you were talking about fundoshis, so I had no choice but to approach you. If you're truly serious about making the switch to the fundoshi life, I would be happy to guide you both and be your mentor on the transition. Although not common, It's not unheard of for women to wear fundoshis. Many women have even considered the switch to a fundoshi to be invigorating, giving them new found passion and purpose in life."

"Blechh! Disgusting! You idiot! Hentai!" Erina snapped, now red in the face.

"Eeek! No way! That's gross and indecent senpai!" Megumi fidgeted slightly, also blushing.

"Fufu. My juniors are kawaii. Fufu. Well if you two change your mind, you know who to talk to for advice. I have plenty of connections in the fundoshi industry. I can even arrange for private shipments." Isshiki said proudly.

"That's obviously not what we were talking about!" Both girls yelled in unison at him.

"Jeez. Isshiki leave your kohai alone will you?" Fumio said while approaching the trio, leaving both an uncontrollably giggling Yuki on the floor in the corner, along with a visibly distressed Shun trying to hold back his own laughter after witnessing the exchange with Isshiki from the other side of the room.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop." Isshiki said, hands raised, feigning defeat. "But, I'll have you know, I was serious about the proposition."

"Yes, yes. We've all heard it before." Fumio replied. "Anyway, weren't you supposed to be working in the fields with Soma-kun?"

Both girls perked up at the mention of the red-haired boy's name.

"Ohhh, Soma-kun?" Isshiki said. "Hmmm…I gave him the slip." He winked.

"Poor Soma-kun." Megumi said. Erina and Fumio nodding in agreement.

"By the way, speaking of Soma-kun…" Isshiki smiled sadistically at Erina. "I bet he's going to be hungry after he's done planting, picking and organizing all the crops I asked him to."

Erina started fidgeting a bit while also glaring at Isshiki in annoyance, as if threatening him to not say anything further.

"I guess I can make something for hi-" Megumi began.

"Ahh that's okay Tadokoro-chan. Soma-kun is actually rather lucky today as someone has already been working on a special meal just for him. She' actually been working for quite some time now, isn't that right Erinacchi?" Isshiki said smirking at the fidgeting blonde who was now both visibly annoyed and embarrassed.

"Isshiki-senpai…" Erina gritted, glaring at him as she tried to think of a response, realizing exactly what he was implying, just like everyone else around them.

"Oh ho…Erina-chan, is that why you were so keen on knowing what we thought of your dish earlier?" Fumio questioned with a hint of mischief in her voice.

"Ehh?! Erina-chan is…" Megumi trailed off looking at Erina, a sense of anxiousness in her eyes.

"Ahh…um…" Erina fumbled her words before regaining composure. "No way! Absolutely not! I was merely testing a new recipe and had heard that it may be beneficial to seek advice or opinions from different people from time to time. I was simply giving that a try as I only usually ask Hisako."

"Hmmm. Is that all? Are you sure? You've constantly been checking that smaller pot over there. Perhaps that's for Soma-kun?" Fumio smirked. _"Fufufu. I thought something was going on between those two these last few weeks, but I'd never guess it would be something like this."_ Fumio thought, while thinking of her own youthful days full of romance. _"Ahhh…Kou-chan."_

"EHHHH!? Erinacchi is making a special lovey-dovey breakfast for Soma-kun?!" Yuki yelled, making her way over as she had finally recovered from her laughing fits and overheard the others. Shun had disappeared somewhere.

"LOVEY-DOVEY?!" Megumi yelled, the color had drained from Megumi's face and she looked like she was on the verge of fainting. "Erina-chan making…for Soma-kun…lovey-dovey." She mumbled, her thoughts racing, her mind spinning.

 _"_ _Erina-chan….and Soma-kun…a special breakfast, like a girl-gi-girlfff…girlfriend…GIRLFRIEND! EHHHHH! I thought something was a little off between them, but I didn't expect something like this. Is this true?! She hasn't said anything yet."_ She looked over at Erina, but she was frozen still and reddening in the face. _"Ahhhhhh, she's embarrassed! Does she like Soma-kun too?!"_

The thought brought an unknown pain to Megumi's chest, almost as if she was punched in the stomach. It was rather similar to the feelings of uneasiness she felt earlier. _"Maybe it's not true."_ She thought to herself, trying to calm down.

Although, as she thought about it, the relationship between Soma and Erina had done a complete one eighty since Erina's father showed up. Now that she thought about it, Erina no longer acted in the same prideful, and haughty manner like she used to around Soma. Their new forms of bantering seemed to have a lightheartedness to them. Come to think of it, Megumi now remembered that there had been many different times since Erina has been here where she saw how they were getting along rather well together, and sometimes even just alone. Before Erina couldn't be in the same room around Soma without getting annoyed at him, but now she was a different person with him. Megumi even remembered a few times where she saw Erina laughing at Soma's quirky antics.

 _"_ _No. Erina's changed around everybody though. It isn't specific to Soma."_ Megumi countered to herself. _"Yes, this is just her being friendly to him or something…right?"_

"Lov-lovey-dov-ey?! GAHHHHH!" Erina finally blurted out. Still feeling a combination of annoyance and embarrassment. _"Damn it Isshiki! Damn it Yuki!"_ Getting her bearings, she continued. "NO! There's no special meaning behind this or anything like that! Absolutely none!" She yelled, emphasizing the last point as if to quell their gossipy notions. "This is merely in return for helping me. That's it. I happened to be up early this morning and we ran into each other in the kitchen. I offered and he accepted. That was that." She said, regaining a bit of her lady-like aura.

"Ehh? He helped you with something?" Yuki questioned.

"It was a specific instance when I first moved in here. It doesn't matter, but with everything that happened, I didn't get the chance to repay him. It would be rude and shameful not to so I took the opportunity when it arose this morning. That's all." Erina replied thinking of the time he made a Yukihira special just for her.

She realized then that his type of food, the same food Saiba-sama had made for her so long ago, was the type of food she always wanted to make. She had forgotten about what it really tasted like, but when she found out who Soma's father was, everything fell in place and she had realized why his food always bothered her and how wrong she was. Food should...no needed to be free. After all, it was that freedom that allowed for the birth and creation of the very elegant and gourmet food that her father had coveted, and that she was indoctrinated to covet. The only type of cuisine that her mind were consider as delicious. How wrong and hypocritical of her and her father to have that notion.

If she had to analogize it, she'd say that Saiba-sama's cooking was the spark in the dark that instilled a creative, imaginative, and loving feeling in her towards food. Her father's subsequent training, or rather indoctrination and torture, had stamped out that spark and walled up all her emotions towards food, but also most human emotions in general. That wall only had a tiny crack for a prideful, haughty and emotionally detached girl to slip through carrying an unwavering preference for specific elegant gourmet cooking styles and nothing else. Everything else was sealed away.

Then…there was Soma's cooking. At first she hated it because she thought it was mocking her, looking down on her. As if all her ideals and knowledge were rendered meaningless before his strange methods of cooking. In reality she was just in denial because tasting it was an experience she hadn't had since her youth. It was unexpected, unique, and quirky, but also imaginative, creative, and adventurous.

Yet, as she thought about it, she could tell there was a difference between the father's and his son's. Where Saiba had the experience of many years of cooking, Soma's was a little more wild, youthful, and spontaneous. Beyond that though it was also kind and warming, as if it was consoling her or protecting her. It was Soma's cooking that broke through the dark walls holding her back, like a burning inferno that burst through and encased her, shielding her from the darkness. It was his cooking that set her free and it was his cooking she wanted to follow. _"Just his cooking."_ She thought as if trying to convince herself of something. _"That's all it is. Nothing else about him. Just his cooking."_

However, unbeknownst to all of the people pestering her right now, she lied. That wasn't the reason she was making him breakfast today. This wasn't intended as thanks at all. _"I already thanked him a few weeks ago."_ She thought as she began to feel a little embarrassed at the memory of "that" night. _"I can't think about that now."_ She added, trying to focus on the matter at hand.

Truthfully she didn't know exactly why she wanted to make Soma breakfast or why she even asked to. She just blurted it out at the time. It bugged her, but no matter what she still wanted to make sure the food was delicious. She wanted to make sure he enjoyed it, even to the point where she asked others, besides Hisako, to taste her food. It was unlike her and even though it irked her, it didn't necessarily feel unpleasant either.

"Ahh, so that's all it was. I see." Megumi said softly, the color slowly returning to her face while a feeling of relief washed over her a bit. Still though, she felt something was a bit off, as if she wasn't completely convinced and that uneasiness remained. Although she thought her expressions went unnoticed by everyone as all eyes were on Erina, a certain second year noticed, but decided not to comment.

"Hmmm. But Erinacchi, I don't remember you saying it was in return for…" Isshiki began but was cutoff with a ladle thrust in his face.

"That's all it was Iss-hi-ki-sen-pai." Erina growled, ladle in hand, held inches from his face. "Keep your childish delusions to yourself. As if MY food would ever be made with special feelings toward anyone, especially Yukihira-kun. Hmpf. Don't make me laugh." She said, crossing her arms.

 _"_ _There's nothing special about him and I feel nothing special about him. It's just his unique views on cooking that have helped me. That's all. Maybe he's a friend, but that's it. That's right, we're friends, just like the other friends I've made in this dorm. Yeah, that's it."_ Erina thought, continuing to battle her thoughts from earlier.

"Anyway, romance is nothing any of us should even be considering with everything going on right now. Surviving Central's tactics is the only thing we should be focusing on. Romance and romantic relationships are impossible." She stated while turning back to her cooking. _"Especially for me. I don't even understand love. With my family…my circumstances…everything… it's…impossible."_ She added to herself.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Fumio said. "Totsuki is a place where only the strongest of students will survive it's true, and that goes double for all of you, especially now that Central and most of the school are against you. However, never forget that these years are also your precious high school years. Love and romance is a part of many high school student's lives, if they let it be and it can be the same for all of you." Fumio smiled knowingly, thinking of fond memories of her high school sweetheart Kou-chan.

"Fumio-san…" Megumi said in awe of her dorm mother. _"Alright! I'll try my best!"_

"As expected of Fumio-san." Yuki said, feeling determined herself.

Erina remained silent. _"Love and romance…not for me…I don't need it…I can't…"_ Was all she thought before focusing solely on cooking once more.

"Well said Fumio-san!" Isshiki cheered. "That is part of the revelry and enjoyment of youth. Ahh sweet love...sweet youth, glorious youth. You girls should take Fumio-san's advice. This is definitely a prime time for love and romance."

"Senpai is getting out of hand again." Megumi, Erina, and Yuki said together.

"Wow! Sounds pretty lively in here. What's all the commotion?" Said a new, but very familiar voice.

"Ahhh, Soma-kun! Good morning!" Yuki cheered.

"Morning Soma-kun." Fumio said.

"Good morning Soma-kun!" Megumi smiled. Her heart started to beat a bit seeing the boy that had been the subject of their conversation. He clearly had been working up a storm out there and was covered in sweat and dirt. He had what looked like a sack of vegetables, probably potatoes, thrown over one arm. The other arm was carrying another sack underneath it. The outlines of the muscles on his arms were visible as he held the vegetables, causing his muscles to flex. The sweat on his body caused his shirt to stick to him, outlining the lean muscles underneath. Megumi felt herself heat up while gazing at his appearance. She realized she had a thing for the hardworking and dirty look, and Soma pulled it off splendidly.

Erina also had her gaze fixed on Soma again. Thoughts similar to earlier in the morning were beginning to flare up once again, as well as her body temperature. However, she pried her eyes away before she got worse. _"Why does that keep happening? Focus Erina, Focus on cooking. Focus on the food!_ "

"Good morning Tadokoro! Morning Yoshino! Fumio-san!" Soma responded to the new faces of the morning. "Oi! Senpai! Where did you go? I spent a lot of time looking for you out there. You left me with all these potatoes to carry. You can't expect us to keep coming out to help if you skimp out on the work you know?" Soma said. "Ah well, I guess I should have expected this since it's you after all."

"You wound me Soma-kun. You wound me. But, I'll admit I should not have left you, but the conversation in here was far too riveting to ignore." Isshiki smiled slyly. Ignoring the noises of the fidgeting blonde cooking nearby or the flustered blunette.

"Ohhhh? What was the conversation in here about?" Soma questioned.

"Ahhh, what indeed Soma-kun, what indeed. If I had to sum it up in one word, I'd say the word is…" Isshiki looked around to see Erina a little stiff, Megumi eagerly awaiting what he was going to say and Yuki and Fumio giggling slightly understanding what he was doing. "Food!" He finally cheered, hearing sighs of relief from Megumi and Erina, the latter he also thought was muttering curses at him under her breath.

"Food? Isn't that what we all usually talk about? Was it about a new dish or recipe?" Soma asked.

"A new dish of course. It's a very special dish at that." Isshiki said. "Soma-kun are you hungry?"

"Ah, yeah now that you mention it. I had to do almost double the work thanks to you. I'm starving." Soma replied, realizing just how hungry he was and remembering that Erina had promised to make him breakfast. Looking over at her he saw her focusing intently on the pots in front of her. He could smell that it was delicious, he just hoped it was for him.

"That's wonderful because you see you're about to get to taste that very same dish we were discussing." Isshiki said cheerfully.

"Huhhh?" Erina said, while Megumi and Yuki had looks of confusion on their faces. Fumio just smiled observing the interaction.

"Wow, really? That's great!" Soma said enthusiastically. He was very hungry and since Erina was the only one cooking right now, he knew the special dish was going to be served by her, which ended up making him more excited for reasons he didn't understand.

"Of course, of course. Erinacchi has been working on this dish for a very long time after all. She seems to have only recently gotten the hang of it actually. Finally figuring out the right ingredients and such. It's that complicated of a dish you see." Isshiki said seriously.

"What?" Erina said, very confused. "Wait a minute sen-" She started, but was cut off by Soma who was hanging on Isshiki's every word. Megumi and Yuki now only more confused.

"Ohh boy! Sweet! What's it called? What's it called?" Soma asked eagerly, his hunger and love of new and unique recipes overtaking all else.

"This dish…hmmm…you probably heard of it. I'm not sure if you could handle it though, or even understand it." Isshiki said seriously.

"I can handle it. I can understand it Senpai." Soma said equally serious.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. This dish is one of the most complicated dishes known to man..." Isshiki began. "It's a dish called…lov-"

"MISO SOUP!" Erina yelled, interrupting Isshiki, after she finally realized what he was doing. "It's nothing special, it's just plain old miso soup!"

Yuki busted out laughing again after realizing what was going on, that Isshiki had brought it back to the original teasing from moments ago. Fumio looked amused. Megumi laughed lightly too, but also tensely.

"What?" Soma said, his face crestfallen, the eagerness and anticipation of what he thought was some spectacularly new dish they were discussing, now gone. "Ahhh, I should've expected this. Isshiki-senpai has been messing with me all morning after all. Senpai, you've been especially annoying today you know?" Soma said tiredly, but also missing the meaning of Isshiki's joke.

"I'll say." Erina agreed, thankful Soma didn't understand what had just happened.

"Ahh, my apologies. I guess you could say I'm full of energy and nothing burns energy like playing tricks on one's juniors, am I right?" Isshiki teased.

"NO!" Erina and Soma snapped back together.

"Well, anyway, I don't mind if it's miso soup Nakiri. It didn't matter what it was as your offer made me happy enough." Soma smiled, turning towards Erina. "Besides, don't forget that you're cooking for a guy who eats squid covered in honey and peanut butter from time to time." He said proudly.

"Fufufu, that's true." Erina laughed. "I should've just made a bowl of…what was it you tried to sneak into my dish yesterday? Ahh, that's right, squid soaked in vinegar and blueberry jam. Come to think of it, that dish actually suits you perfectly, perhaps I should make that for you instead." Erina teased.

"Ahhh, hey now, that was only because it's very difficult to get you to try my cooking. You know I'm trying to compete with my Dad in not just most delicious food, but also most disgusting right? I figured since, you know, you constantly mistakenly describe my 'delicious' food as 'disgusting,' you wouldn't mind tasting something that is truly disgusting." Soma shot back mischievously. "I thought it might clear your head a bit and you'd finally admit my food is delicious."

"Ohh ho ho, aren't we daring Yukihira-kun?" Erina smirked. "Unfortunately for you my God's tongue is never wrong in describing taste. True deliciousness can only be found on someone near my level, as I've told you before, and am about to remind you now…" She ladled the soup into a bowl for him. "I don't think you're capable of reaching my level. Your father on the other hand, well it goes without saying that his cooking is the epitome of deliciousness." Erina said giving him the bowl, baiting him, as if to challenge him.

"Oh yeah?! Well I'll be the judge of that. Bring it on!" Soma smirked, accepting her challenge, sitting down and preparing to taste her soup.

Spoon in hand, he dove in. On the first taste, it was obvious to Soma. This soup was delicious. So delicious in fact, that he felt like he would become addicted to the intensity of the flavors in the soup. As he anticipated, even though it was miso soup, this was no ordinary miso soup, for Nakiri Erina is no ordinary chef.

Before him in this bowl was a soup that had the effect of revitalizing him to the point where he felt like he had gained back double the energy he exerted in the field for the last hour or so. At the same time the soup was also soothing him and washing away the tiredness and soreness he felt from his work outside, relaxing his muscles and tension. The soup gave off the usual feelings of gourmet, elegance and grace, somewhat typical of Erina's style, but he sensed another feeling as well, something that reminded him of his own style, but he couldn't describe it. Needless to say, he couldn't get enough of this soup. It was almost as if he was becoming a slave to the taste. He wanted to devour it, and so he did.

"How is it?" Erina asked, with a cocky smile on her face as she leaned over the other side of the table towards him. She got closer to him, lying one arm on the table underneath her, and propping her head up on the other, leaning it slightly to the side. "Is it good? Would you like seconds?" She teased, knowingly. His face at the first spoonful already answered these questions for her.

Still, unbeknownst to Soma though, Erina was actually rather nervous when she made this, although she didn't know exactly why, but she'd most definitely never tell him either way. Luckily the various earlier distractions from her friends, as well as their banter and his reaction just now all caused the nervousness to dissipate.

Soma struggled to respond. Obviously it was delicious and of course he wanted more, he finished his bowl in seconds after all. They both knew it, but he wasn't sure he wanted to give her the satisfaction of that right now. He thought he'd mess with her a bit instead. "Hmmm, well…this is nothing special. I've had better." He paused, thinking on something. "Actually…I've MADE better." Soma smirked back with a new light in his eyes, emphasizing the word made.

"Ohhh really?" Erina raised a brow. "Are you challenging me?" Erina questioned back, a similar light in her eyes now as well, knowing where this was going.

"Perhaps." Soma stared back seriously. "Ahhhhh, but, I'll probably need to have a bit more first, just to double check, for research purposes." He caved in a bit as he really wanted more of that soup.

"Fufufufu. How silly. What the heck is that?" Erina giggled, expecting a cooking battle only for him to actually cave in so soon.

"What? I never said I didn't want anymore. Only that I can do better." Soma laughed.

At the same time as all this was going on, the other four people in the group had realized they had been forgotten as both Erina and Soma were off laughing and bickering together in their own world. They decided to leave these two to their playful bickering and silently backed away out of the room.

Yuki, Megumi, and Fumio had now also just realized something, that perhaps Isshiki's teasing of Erina wasn't as misplaced and random as they initially thought. The idea of a romance between the spiky red-haired boy and the honey blonde ojou-sama didn't seem too far-fetched after all.

Megumi lingered at the entrance to the kitchen looking back on the bantering boy and girl on the other side of the room. She could see the bliss on Soma's face as he ate, based on his reactions, the undoubtedly delicious soup Erina made him. She could see the glee on Erina's face at his reaction, but also the amusement when she prodded him to tell her how it was, and his struggle to resist her. She could see both their eyes light up in a way she had never seen before as they laughed and bickered with each other. She had never seen either of them give off that type of expression. If she was only slightly uneasy before, she was extremely uneasy now.

 _"_ _They look good together."_ Megumi thought. _"Erina-chan…she…she might like Soma-kun after all."_ Even if Erina didn't realize it or denied it, looking at them now, Megumi could tell. They were two of her best friends after all. _"And Soma-kun…he…"_ She trailed off. She didn't want to think about these things anymore. Noticing a dull pain increasing in her chest. _"It hurts to think about these things."_

"Tadokoro-chan?" Isshiki approached Megumi. "Are you okay?" He asked as he noticed what her gaze was fixated on.

"Ahh, Senpai…I'm fine." Megumi said, turning to him, trying to force a smile.

"They're fun to tease, those two." Isshiki laughed, trying to lighten her mood. "Especially Soma-kun."

"Ahh, yeah, I suppose." Megumi said, trying to adjust to the topic. "You do seem to have fun teasing them. Actually you've been teasing Soma-kun a little more than usual as of late. Why is that?" She asked, curious now that she thought about it.

"Ohhh, well, it wasn't obvious?" Isshiki smiled. "He's been particularly frustrating for me lately." As if a switch was flipped, Isshiki's mood and voice changed, going from cheerful and friendly, to dark and serious.

Megumi was taken aback at his last comment. _"Ehh?! Did I mishear him?"_ "Uhm, Sen-" She began to question him.

"Say, Megumi…" Isshiki cut her off and turned to her, looking directly at her with a face and gaze she'd never seen on him before. "Someday…will you make a special dish just for me?" He asked, leaning closer to her and gazing at her intensely with his deeply cyan blue eyes.

Megumi froze at his words and under the intensity of his gaze. She had no idea what was happening or even how to respond. She felt her heartbeat increase rapidly. It was like Isshiki's eyes had stupefied her and she couldn't look away from them. In a way, she didn't want to look away from them. She wasn't afraid, instead it felt like something else. Her breath was caught in her throat, so she was unable to speak or even breath. She almost didn't realize he didn't even use any honorifics and that he called her by her first name.

"Just kidding." Isshiki cheered backing away from her, as if the switch had been flipped back, the intensity and seriousness dissipating from his face instantly, as it returned to its usual cheerful and carefree expression. Isshiki turned and began walking away, waving. "I'm sure you have a busy day today, but remember not to overwork yourself. See you later Tadokoro-chan!" With that he was gone, leaving a very stunned Megumi to her thoughts.

 _"_ _EHHH?! WHAT WAS THAT JUST NOW!?"_ Megumi's mind was spinning. She had no idea what Isshiki meant by that or why he suddenly changed. _"Maybe I was imagining things?"_ She thought to herself. Also, she began playing the scene over in her head. _"Special meal…"_ What exactly did Isshiki mean? Thoughts of Soma and Erina and the special meal and now Isshiki and just everything really were swirling around in Megumi's head as she began to move away from the kitchen.

Suddenly, Megumi's stomach began to growl. _"Ahhh…that's right, I never did make something for breakfast."_ She realized. The primary reason she came down here was to make breakfast for herself and try some new recipes in the process. Glancing back at the kitchen door, hearing the cheerful voices of her two friends, Megumi knew only one thing for certain. She wanted to be anywhere else right now, but inside that kitchen. _"Well, I guess I have some snacks in my room."_ With that, the downcast blunette made her way back upstairs.

-0-

A little later, elsewhere in the house Fumio had found Isshiki again and asked to speak with him in one of the private study rooms.

"Isshiki. When I spoke to the girls earlier about these years being your precious high school years and about not ruling out love and romance, I was speaking to you too you know? That advice applies the same to you. You may be their senpai, but you are still only just a second year yourself. You're only 17 years old." Fumio said as if trying to remind him that he doesn't always need to be acting the part of a mentor and senpai. He's just a student himself after all.

Not to mention she had seen hints of where his desires were. She was always observing the students in her dorm, watching over them as if they were her own. She could see through his act every now and then. How his eyes would take quick glances at a certain owner of blue hair every time they were in the same room together. Or how his gaze was sometimes just a few seconds longer on the blunette than on other people. She could tell, she was always watching over her dorm children.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Fumio-san." Isshiki smiled in his carefree manner.

"Hmmm. Fine then. I'll let you off on that matter for now. On to other matters then. Have you heard any new information on if Central is altering the upcoming trial for the students? It's one of the hardest trials they have to face and it kicks off the beginning of their second year. I can only imagine what Central might do." Fumio said solemnly

"Surprisingly enough, I haven't heard anything from my sources. I wouldn't be surprised if they just failed those who didn't comply with their teachings on the spot after the trial was over." Isshiki replied seriously.

"Hmmm…I wonder. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens." Fumio said. "The first major Free Study Period (FSP) of their Totsuki career is approaching after all."

"Ahh, the FSP's. Sure brings me back. I believe we lost the next 20 members of my class after the first one, bringing us down to roughly 60 left. Many more were lost along the way as well." Isshiki mused.

"Some of them are gone thanks to you, if I recall." Fumio chuckled.

"Hmm, but of course." Isshiki said seriously, but smirking all the same. "Challenging me for my seat was their mistake, and expulsion was only the first part of their payment."

"Fufu, well it's probably a good thing now. We'll need all the help we can get in the coming days and your connections and resources have been one of our strongest weapons so far. Same goes for Kuga and Megishima's as well." Fumio said.

"True. Ah …but Megishima is graduating soon. Helping from outside the academy is going to be far more difficult for him." Isshiki said. "Ahhh, getting removed from the Elite Ten solely because of the word of a maniac sure is…frustrating." Isshiki said angrily, clenching a fist. _"I'll be back…Nakiri Azami…"_

"Now, now, although I'm glad you're finally showing some emotion over it, save that energy for the battles ahead." Fumio said, calmly. "Besides, there's a lot at stake now. We all have things we want to protect here."

"Ahh, of course, you're right." Isshiki said. "So much has happened over the year I suppose."

"Not all of what's happened was bad though right?" Fumio smiled.

"No...no it wasn't. It was…" Isshiki trailed off, smiling calmly, turning away from Fumio to look out the window and think of all the fond memories of his second year.

Thoughts of him and his kohai…no…his friends, smiling and laughing together. Playing games and eating delicious food together in Marui's room. Working and having fun together outside or laughing at the pranks they played on each other. He thought of the many cooking battles they had together in the kitchen.

His thoughts drifted, as they often did these days, to a particular girl. He could see her standing tall against all odds on the Shokugeki floor, remembering how she proved wrong the judges and students who underestimated her. He could see her at the end of the ping pong table facing him head on, fire and determination in her eyes. The same girl always willing to help those in need and give them a smile when they were down. The girl who didn't mind his antics when he would wake her and her friends at the wee hours of the day.

He thought of the sunshine cast over the fields behind the dorm. At the center of one field, he could see the girl with a sunhat on and a straw basket full of vegetables in her hands. She was facing away from him, humming to herself cheerfully as she enjoyed being outside. Her blue hair braids swayed gently in the wind, catching the sunlight. When he approached her, she turned and gave him a smile more radiant than the sun behind her.

"It was beautiful." Isshiki whispered, vowing to always protect that smile.

* * *

 **So, what did you guys think? Let me know if you can. Any feedback is appreciated.**

 **As you can see, Isshiki seems to have a thing for a certain blue haired girl. Now, I know this may seem strange to some, as I honestly haven't seen this ship mentioned very much before or at all really myself, but I think it could work. I wonder what to call it? Isshigumi? Megishiki? Megutoshi? Satumi? Hmmm. Blue Apron?**

 **In my opinion, as far alternatives to Soma, Isshiki is the best bet for Megumi. I don't find the Ryo ship very strong at all as it literally comes from just the one match they had, while there have been various flags and hints throughout the series that Isshiki is the better candidate. (I'll remind you next chapter who Ryo should be with ;))**

 **He was very confident in her abilities during the election preliminaries and defended her to those judges, I think it was one of those blonde twins, that doubted her. They have the ping pong rivalry, she acts differently towards him than the others in regards to his weirdness and waking people up at night and all that. Plus, their personalities and cooking styles match well with the focus on freshness and grown ingredients from Isshiki, as well as similar vibes coming from Megumi's fresh homegrown usage and style. I think it could work. I guess we will have to wait and see though. She may be down now, but I don't think Megumi will give up on Soma that easily..or at all hehehe.**

 **Anyway, chapter 3 is underway and will hopefully be out before the weekend. More characters will be showing up as well. It's gonna be fun.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all and thanks for your amazing reviews, favorites, follows, and such. This is a rather long one so I hope you enjoy it. It took a little longer than expected.**

 **Just want to let you all know that I decided to keep Soma spelled like that for consistency purposes with earlier chapters. Anyway, might as well get to it.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Nakiri Alice was feeling restless and distracted. She had been lounging around on her bed perusing a wide variety of cooking books. Her recent experiences over the last few months, starting with losing to Soma and going through to surviving Hokkaido, made her realize just how much more she needed to do in order to reach the top. As special and dear to her molecular gastronomy would always be, she knew that she needed to incorporate new ideas and techniques from all styles of cooking if she wanted to reach the top. She couldn't wait for the day where she would be able to battle Soma, Erina, Ryo and her other friends for the Elite Ten spots. Defeating Central and her uncle came first however, as they all knew.

The problem Alice faced now though, is that she tends to get bored or antsy easily when she does something for too long. She had been studying since she woke up and it was already the late afternoon, but she was full of energy. More importantly there was a specific problem on her mind constantly these last few days, only distracting her even more.

Usually, in the past, she would go bother Erina or Ryo in times like these. The former was no longer living in the building, and her uncle would likely prevent her from seeing Erina if she was anyway. As far as the latter goes…well…they weren't speaking to each other these last few days and that was the problem constantly on her mind.

"Mouuuuu…Ryo-kun you BAKA! Baka! Baka! Baka!" Alice yelled laying on her back, kicking around and punching her pillow.

Ryo was particularly moody lately and was constantly in his "Berserk Mode" as he locked himself in his room to do some extreme physical and mental culinary training, at least that's what she thought. She suspected that it had to do with him running into the sword wielding fifth seat of the Elite Ten, Saito Somei, last week on their way home. Ryo had to face Saito in the Hokkaido trials while she faced the glasses wearing sixth seat, Kinokuni Nene. With the combination of their own skills and surprise assistance from the former third seat, Megishima Tosuke, both of them were able to win over enough judges and defeat the two Elite Ten members.

Normally this would be an occasion for celebration, as fighting two Elite Ten members was something the two of them knew would be extremely difficult, even for them. There was one problem for Ryo however, and that was that his opponent almost seemed completely disinterested throughout the match and even at his loss, despite having put out such an amazing dish. He didn't even say a word throughout the whole ordeal. Ryo absolutely hates people like him, the calm and extremely quiet types, as he views them to be lacking passion and the necessary fighting spirit to serve in a kitchen. No matter what he said or did, Saito acted like he wasn't even there. Understandably, Ryo felt very unfulfilled and angry with his victory.

Alice recalled how for a few days after that he was going on and on about how he would get revenge, even though he won, but then he eventually calmed down. Seeing Saito last week however, at least she thought, had reignited that anger and as such he began this "Berserk Mode" training camp in his room, only this time his anger was far worse than last time. She didn't know exactly why either, as he wouldn't tell her anything. Alice understood his feelings and was okay with him being angry. She knew Ryo better than anyone else after all, as he's always been with her. He'd gotten angry over smaller things in the past and she was fine with that too. It usually dissipated after he worked through it and overcame it.

She knew that it actually had more to do with Ryo himself than the actual object of his anger, in this case Saito. There were a few rare moments throughout the years where she remembered Ryo privately disclosing to her that he still had weaknesses to overcome and that he had to become stronger. Alice understood that Saito's lack of acknowledgement towards Ryo restored old feelings of insignificance in him, reminding him of his past, and that that was the true reason he got angry in situations like this. She was fine with him reacting as such because of that.

What she was not fine with, however, was when that anger was redirected at her. The bothersome memory from a few days ago kept replaying in her mind.

A few days ago:

Alice had been working on a couple of new recipes all morning. She was going for a unique approach that combined her molecular gastronomy with Italian and Indian cuisines. Her results were actually turning out rather promising as the different blends of spices and flavors ended up tasting surprisingly well, depending on the ingredients, and the molecular gastronomy elevated the flavors.

She wanted to take a break though, and figured it was a good time to take her do-…assistant for a walk anyway.

"Ryoooo-kuuunnn!" She yelled. "Where are you?" Usually he appeared right away if she called.

"Mouu. Fine I'll go to you then." Alice huffed, assuming he was still in his room.

Upon arriving at Ryo's door she could hear quite a lot of noise. It sounded like he was cooking up a storm in there with pots banging and sauces sizzling. It smelled good, whatever it was, and it made her hungry.

 _"_ _Maybe he'd let me try some."_ She thought, eagerly.

"GRRRR! DAMN IT!" Ryo yelled from behind the door. "I'll make those bastards pay. Central should just go and die!" He continued, unconcerned with the fact that he shared a house with the leader of said organization.

"Fufufu, Silly Ryo-kun." Alice chuckled softly to herself. _"It's a good thing Uncle Azami hates us and avoids this side of the house."_

With that Alice tried the door, but it was surprisingly locked. He rarely does that since she's known to barge in. _"Ohhhh…curious."_ She thought. She tried knocking on the door instead, loud enough for him to hear. He didn't respond.

"Jeez." Alice pouted. "Ryo-kuuuuunn! Let me in!" Alice whined from the other side. He still didn't respond.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?!" Alice said louder, this time banging on the door.

"GRRR!" Ryo growled, opening the door quickly, taking a quick glance at Alice, only to then make a "Tchh" sound and slam it in her face before she could say or do anything. "BUZZ OFF!" He added.

"HUH?!" Alice yelled. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!? What the heck was that Ryo-kun?! You meanie!" She added now banging on the door. "Come back here!"

"Go away! I don't have any time to entertain you today!" Ryo responded.

"WHAT?! Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Alice questioned, getting more aggravated by the second. "I'm your master, you have to do exactly what I say. Now I order you to OPEN. THIS. DOOR!"

"Master?! Pfft. Who are you kidding…Ojou-samaaa?" Ryo retorted back, drawing out the last word sarcastically. "Don't forget who has the most wins here."

"Ohhhh hoo! I see how it is." Alice raised a brow. "I get it."

"Good. I don't have time to deal with you right now." Ryo replied annoyed. "Go away!"

"Fine. Maybe I'll go find someone more levelheaded and respectful. Someone calm and dignified in the kitchen." Alice retorted. "Oh I know, maybe I'll go find Hayama-kun or Saito-senpai! They're better chefs after all!"

"WHAT?!" Ryo roared. The sound of pots falling and something spilling could be heard from behind the door. "Why you…DAMN IT!"

"Ryo-kun, you BAKA!" With that Alice gave the door a good kick and took off and made her way back to her room, tears in her eyes. She could hear a loud "FINE GO AHEAD! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" as she got further down the hall.

Needless to say she spent the whole night after that crying on the phone to her mom about how mean Ryo was.

Present Day:

And that was that. They hadn't spoken or even seen each other since. She didn't mean what she said of course and she knew he was just frustrated as well, but still…it hurt. He wasn't usually that harsh. Alice was rather worried, as their fights never usually lasted this long, yet she didn't want to be the first one to give in either. Also, who knew if he would yell at her again. Usually he would come and find her after he cooled off for a few hours. Or the bandanna might come off and he'd revert back to his gloomy and lazy side. _"Damn, maybe I should've made a grab for his bandanna."_

Regardless, Alice couldn't help but worry. Ryo was always with her since they were young. Before recently becoming close to the Polar Star gang and Erina again, Ryo was really her only friend for a very long time. She almost never went a whole day without seeing him. Without him around it was like part of her wasn't around either. She started to get weird feelings that she never really had before anytime she thought about Ryo. Sometimes they'd appear as dull pains in her chest or sometimes it felt like she was aching for something. It was driving her nuts.

"Gahhhhhh!" She screamed into her pillow. "This is all Ryo's fault."

 _"_ _Perhaps I have been annoying him lately."_ She shook her head. _"No, no, no, no. This is all his fault, not mine. He's my assistant, and I'm his master. He's supposed to do exactly what I say."_ She tried reassuring herself.

As she lay there she began to have strange feelings again. She didn't know why, but she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong and it made her very sad. She tightened the grip on her pillow, bringing it closer to her chest. A thought she never had before came to her mind. _"Am I…holding him back?"_ Shaking her head again, fighting the notion. _"No, that can't be."_ She held the pillow tighter.

Letting her thoughts wander, she imagined what it would be like if it was Ryo she was holding, instead of the pillow. She felt her body heat up at the thought, as she began to get very flustered. _"Where did that come from?!"_ She questioned, trying to think of something different entirely, only to have her mind wander back to the wild dark haired boy once more.

"Ryo-kun…you idiot." She whispered. "You're supposed to chase after the girl when they run."

Realizing it was no use in staying in her room like this, Alice decided it was time to go. Where, she didn't care, she just needed to leave the mansion.

Beep! Beep!

As if on cue, she received a text. Bolting upright from her bed, she practically dove for her phone on her nightstand. She knew it wouldn't be Ryo as he would have faced her in person first with a situation like this. She was just glad someone texted her. The contact ID read Hishoko.

"Ahhh, Hishoko!" Alice's face lit up. Yes, that's right, the Arato Hisako, Erina's secretary and assistant, who thanks to Alice now has the nickname Hishoko, sent Alice a text. "Fufufu, a lot sure has happened over the last few months." She said aloud, thinking on how this was impossible only a few months ago.

The text read: **_"Hello! There will be an informative and recreational gathering at the Polar Star Dorm later today and you are invited. That is all. - Hisako"_**

"Fufufu. So formal. How cute." Alice giggled. Hisako was rather stiff with her sometimes, but nevertheless she relented in accepting the nickname, or maybe just gave up fighting her on it. Either way, they were close, that's for sure. They've bonded over their mutual familial love and respect for Erina. Not to mention, they are currently working together to get Erina to open up a little more to a certain spiky red-haired commoner boy she happens to live in the same building as. _"I wonder if there's been any progress since last time. Soma's rather oblivious and Erina's in denial after all."_

As far as Alice knew, only herself and Hishoko were the witnesses of a rather shocking scene between her and Soma. At least shocking for them. At any rate, Erina would definitely die of embarrassment if Alice or Hishoko told anyone what they witnessed, but before that she'd probably kill them first.

"Fufufu. Erina is kawaii!" Alice giggled to herself. _"Well, might as well show up early."_

As she made her way out into the hallway and towards the exit. She paused in front of the hallway where Ryo's room was located. Her gaze lingered down the hall at his door, her expression saddening. _"See you later Ryo-kun…"_ She thought to herself, and with that she left.

-0-

Yukihira Soma was facing one of the toughest decisions he ever had to make in his entire life. It was a battle he never expected his mind would have to fight. A war he never thought he'd be part of. It was a slowly brewing war he didn't notice until recently. It was a war that had been going on since he arrived here. It was a battle between two completely different people and their sights were set on him.

On one side, there was a sense of fire and mystery. There was a passion he couldn't quite understand from this individual. They coveted rich flavors in their cooking, but developed them with a sense of grace and elegance. There was a hint of nobility in their creations, but shown in a manner that only they could pull off. They seemed to prefer to act independently and would sometimes resist partaking in social gatherings. However, it didn't take much prodding to change their mind, as they were a little dishonest with their feelings. Moreover, this individual was not afraid to bluntly give their opinion when asked, despite their distant nature.

On the other side, was an individual who can be described as the epitome of support and comfort. She had her own unique style of cooking that gave off a warm and friendly feeling, much like her personality. It gave the feeling that she'd always be there for you and comfort you when you were in trouble. A feeling that you can rely on this person. She had an aura of warmth around her and everyone could tell. She would always reach out to those in need. Yet, there was more to her, that even Soma couldn't exactly describe.

It was time. He had to choose. All eyes were on him and the two individuals in question flanked him, cutting off his escape. They stared him down, eyes burning through him. He couldn't flee now. He'd been putting this decision off for some time and they were tired of it. Maybe he was even running from it, without realizing it. They wouldn't let him escape this time. Today he would finally be forced to make the ultimate choice.

Soma's mind was spinning. He felt like his heart was breaking. The pressure was relentless. It was at least equal to the pressure of an official Shokugeki, but probably even more.

 _"_ _How can I choose between them?"_ He wondered. _"I've grown to love both so much."_

"I...I can't do it." He admitted softly. "They're both too great to choose between."

"You must decide." One of the individuals said bluntly. "You've been avoiding this decision for too long. It ends today."

"Please..." The other individual said softly, eagerness in eyes. She needed to know, no matter how much it hurt. "You can't keep leading us on like this."

"I can't!" Soma responded, sadly. "It's too...painful."

"Just choose." Another voice in the room said.

"It can only be you." Said another.

"It has to be you." Chimed another.

"End it already."

"Hurry up!"

"Just choose already."

"You're taking forever."

"Just make a decision."

"Which is better?"

"Follow your heart!"

 _"_ _My heart?"_ He thought. Suddenly images of what both meant to him started flashing before his mind. The feelings they elicited. Finally, he was able to come to only one conclusion. The only answer that his mind…his heart...his soul...his entire existence would allow.

"I...I choose...I..." Soma began.

They both leaned in now, eager to hear.

"I CHOOSE BOTH!" He roared before he began to greedily gobble up the two dishes before him at the same time.

Shouts of annoyance and anger were thrown at Soma from all around the room. He didn't care. It was an impossible decision for him. He couldn't decide when he started at Totsuki, and he couldn't decide now.

The two combatants sighed together. In a way they expected this. That's just how Soma was with them. For some reason he could never choose between them. They didn't mind it though because they could see how much pressure he was under and how hard he was trying.

With that the two sides looked at each other and smiled.

"Until next time?" One questioned.

"Until next time." The other affirmed.

With that, the unofficial Polar Star Shokugeki between the expert on smoked foods and cooking styles, the rightly dubbed "Prince of Smoke," Ibusaki Shun and the equally famous master of fermentation and user of Koji, the "Ane-san" of Totsuki, Sakaki Ryoko, was once again, thanks to Soma, a draw.

They were having a party at the Polar Star Dorm again, this time in the large kitchen, surprisingly, much to Marui's delight, and, not unlike most days, a mini shokugeki occurred. This time between Sakaki and Ibusaki. Soma grew to really enjoy both of their cuisines in a rather similar way and because of that ended up having a difficult time choosing between the two. They both figured this out and ended up developing a bit of a friendly rivalry in trying to get him to decide one over the other. That's why they always asked him to be one of the judges each time. He had a sneaking suspicion they were messing with him though, but he couldn't say for sure. Anyway, usually things turned out okay regardless, but sometimes he was paired with some easily frustrated judges.

"Gahhhhh! Yukihira! You do this every single time!" A very annoyed Takumi Aldini said from his right. "How can you claim you'll take the top spot when you can't effectively choose between two very different dishes?!"

"He's right Yukihira." An equally annoyed Mito Ikumi chimed in from his left. "Not to mention, you take forever!"

"Hey! It's not my fault! I told them not to make me a judge, but they insisted." Soma replied. "I've been eating their food so much since living here that…I've just developed a rather equally strong desire for the stuff so it's hard okay?"

"Grrrr. Yukihira!" Takumi and Nikumi snapped together.

"Hahaha! You guys are funny!" Soma snickered. "So alike."

"We are not!" They yelled back in unison, only to look at each other. "Stop copying me damn it!"

 _"_ _Andddd…they're off."_ Soma thought moving away from the two.

"Oii! You wanna go, you olive oil addict?!" Nikumi stood up glaring at Takumi.

"Huh?! What was that you A5 junky?!" Takumi rose up, not backing down.

"Grrrr!" They growled at one another.

"Fufufu. Nii-chan." Isami Aldini laughed from nearby. "So funny."

"What did you say Isami?!" Takumi said now yelling at his brother.

"This is your fault you know?" Ryoko said to Soma. Shun nodding in agreement.

"Yeah I know." Soma smiled. "But it's not like I was wrong either."

A while back, a similar situation occurred where both Takumi and Nikumi started to berate Soma for something. He forgot what. After loudly pointing out how similar the two of them were, in front of everybody, it became a running joke in their group. Unfortunately, the two subjects of the joke didn't take very kindly to it and started to lash out at and blame one another. Whenever somebody, usually Soma, mentioned their similar nature it would set them off and they would begin squabbling, similar to the present situation.

"Pffft!" Yuki snickered next to Ryoko. "They're so cute."

"Gaaahhhh!" Nikumi blurted at that, reddening. "Hmpf! I'm going over there." She fumed while walking towards the chatting group of Daigo, Shoji, and Marui.

Yuki, Ryoko and Shun followed her while Takumi continued to berate his brother, who as expected, was laughing only harder now. This left Soma to his thoughts.

Overall it was a fun day. They'd all been working rather hard given that they were essentially at war with the school, so it was nice to get a break like this. Soma knew though that this was only the calm before an even greater storm. There's no way that Erina's father would let things stay the way they were.

Unconsciously, now that his thoughts drifted towards the God's Tongue, his eyes began searching for her. He spotted her on the other side of the room. She arrived slightly after the shokugeki began, with a very energetic Alice in tow so he didn't have the chance to speak to her yet. He assumed her cousin was the reason she was delayed. Soma also thought it odd though that Ryo was nowhere to be seen yet. Deciding to ask Alice about it later, his thoughts and gaze once again shifted back to her cousin, as they had been quite frequently in recent days.

Currently Erina was in a group with Alice, Megumi, and Hisako. Unsurprisingly, a very animated Alice was doing most of the talking, but Megumi and Hisako seemed to be hanging on every word. He didn't know what Alice was saying, but he could tell it was about Erina based on her facial expressions and occasional snapping at Alice. He was happy to see that Megumi seemed a little better as she was laughing along with the others. He didn't get to ask, but she seemed down the other day when Erina made him breakfast.

Actually, now that he remembered it, he spent most of that day in the kitchen. A little while after he ate breakfast with Erina, she had some too, he took a quick shower to clean off the remnants of his outdoors work, but then he returned almost immediately to the kitchen. She did the same. The two of them spent most of the day having mini shokugekis against one another, comparing recipes, and having many bouts of their usual bantering sessions. Saying it was an incredibly fun day might actually be an understatement. Rather it was an amazing day and the most fun he had in a long while. He felt great. He couldn't explain it, but making all those dishes with her on his mind and more importantly for her, really had a profound effect on him. It was invigorating. He wanted to experience that again, but he didn't have the chance.

Despite all that however, she still refused to say his food was delicious. _"She sure is stubborn. That Nakiri."_ He smiled. _"Someday, I'll get you to say it…someday."_

While deep in thought he didn't notice that their group eventually separated. Megumi left the room with Nikumi and Yuki, probably to get more food to make. Hisako went over to where Ryoko was. Then it was just Alice and Erina.

Alice seemed to be prodding Erina about something and eliciting a variety of interactions out of her. She even tried to hug her a few times or grab on to her. Soma noticed all the different reactions she was making. How she would fidget in embarrassment or how she would turn red in the face. He saw how she pouted or snapped back in annoyance. Then he started remembering other faces he'd seen her make too.

 _"_ _She's…pretty cute"_

"See something you like?" A voice said to his right, startling him.

"Ooof!" Soma bolted back a bit, banging his head on the wall. "Owww."

"Ooops. I didn't mean to startle you." Said the voice. It was Hisako.

"Ahh, Hishoko." Soma said, rubbing his head. "It's no problem. I was just…lost in thought." _"Wait?! What was I thinking just now? Did I just think Nakiri was…cute?"_

"Hmmm. Is that all?" Hisako raised a brow, at this point having given up fighting her nickname. "It looked like you were gazing intensely at something…or perhaps someone?"

"Huh? No, no." Soma denied weakly, trying to get rid of the thoughts in his mind. "Not at all."

"You're a terrible liar Yukihira-kun." Hisako said bluntly. "It's not in your nature. You may be oblivious and dense sometimes, but, you don't lie."

"Well thank you for the faith in my honesty, but oblivious? Dense? About what?" Soma asked.

"Someday…I hope you'll tell me." She smiled knowingly. "So, who were you staring at? If you won't tell me…let's see…" Hisako shifted so that her gaze would go in the same direction Soma's did, even though she knew full well who he was staring at. With the Nakiri girls in sight, she continued.

"Ahhh, I see, I see." Hisako nodded, as if discovering something new.

"Huh?! What do you mean you see?" Soma replied.

"So…" Hisako ignored him, and inched closer in order to whisper. "Alice or...Erina-sama?"

"What?!" Soma replied. "I wasn't thinking about either of them!"

"Ohhh? What's this? I didn't ask if you were thinking of them, only if you were staring at them." Hisako said amusingly. "So you were thinking about one of them too huh? Hmmm interesting."

"Gahhh! NO!" He responded. "What's gotten into you? Who are you Isshiki-senpai?!"

"No. But now I understand why he and Alice do this often." She giggled. "You're pretty fun to mess with when it comes to certain things hahaha."

"Jeez. How annoying!" Soma responded.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that this is unlike you." Hisako added. "You were never like this early on and honestly you still aren't like this with most things now. It's only in specific situations. Hmmm…I wonder if it has to do with the girl you were staring at over there." She added mischievously.

When Soma thought about it, she was right. Erina seemed to have a strange effect on him and he had been thinking about her a lot recently. Not to mention, they've been interacting in ways that, before she lived here, would never have happened.

"Hmmm well what about you?" He questioned, trying to dodge the subject. "You're certainly acting a little strange aren't you? I'd say you've changed too."

Hisako paused for a moment. She thought about the many different things that happened to her since the beginning of the year. The battles she had fought, winning some, losing others. She remembered the elections and the words Hayama told her when he won. She remembered the Stagiaire and the first moment she really started to gain a better understanding of the boy besides her. She thought of everything they went through in Hokkaido too and everything since. Most importantly she thought of all the friends she had made and how much closer she got with everyone, especially Erina.

Thinking of Erina, she remembered the distance that was always between them. The boundaries of their relationship, the master and her attendant, a line that Hisako could never go beyond, no matter how much she wanted too. That line no longer existed now and if she had to think of a reason why, it was because of the boy beside her. His words and encouragement allowed her to strive to be someone that would stand next to Erina equally, as her best friend. The thing they both always wanted. Obviously she still has a long way to go before she could really consider herself as Erina's equal. Regardless, she'd always want to continue to serve her, but she is also no longer afraid to treat her as a best friend. They've had many moments since Erina moved in here where they've opened up to each other and she knew that would continue.

She also had many moments with other girls as well, the most surprising being Alice. She remembered well how her and Alice bonded over discussing Erina. Who knew that this would be the thing to bring them together? After both her and Alice witnessed a pretty shocking situation between Erina and Soma, shocking for them anyway, a little over a month ago, they realized that Erina's transformation was also most likely due to the red-haired boy as well. When they noticed the changing relationship between the two, both her and Alice realized it might be something far more serious than friendship. After taking a few days to accept that fact and accept that Soma is an appropriate candidate for Erina (it wasn't easy), she resolved to bring Erina the happiness she deserves.

With that in mind, wanting Erina to be happy, Hisako and Alice have since been trying to bring both her and Soma together. However, the battle is proving to be extremely difficult. Erina is in extreme denial about her feelings, that's obvious, but also seems to be rather resistant to love and romance in general based on some of the comments she's heard her make, probably due to her circumstances. Soma on the other hand is just a very dense and oblivious idiot in regards to things like this which is just as bad in its own way.

"To say I've changed is….an understatement." Hisako smiled. "There's no question I have. We all have. We've all been through so much. Just look at Erina-sama."

He looked again at the blonde. This time she was smiling at something, by the looks of it she had turned the tables on Alice, who was now fuming and pouting.

"Yeah…she has changed…" Soma said gazing at Erina with a warm and longing smile.

Hisako smiled at his reaction. _"You're so obvious Yukihira-kun."_ Deciding to let him off on the earlier topic, as it was quite apparent who he was gazing at this whole time, she had another idea.

"Hey, Yukihira-kun…would you like to hear a story about Erina-sama and I? About how we met and how we ended up where we are today?" Hisako asked. Since the topic turned on how they had changed, she figured this was as good a time as any and that it could only bring the boy closer to Erina in some way.

"About how you met? Hmmm." He pondered. "Sure. I'd like that."

And so, Hisako began to tell the tale of how two girls met as attendant and master. How she was ordered to serve the girl, and for many years dared never to cross that line. How they both changed over the years and how the attendant recently vowed to always be the best friend hereafter.

-0-

Meanwhile, a few minutes later on the other side of the large room, Erina was still contending with a rather annoying white haired girl, standing in another corner away from everyone.

"And so Ryo-kun…he slammed the door…and then…Hey are you listening, hey Erina?" Whined a voice.

"Gahhh! Alice! This is the fifth time today you told me this story." Huffed a very annoyed Erina. She understood her cousin was upset, but her listening to the story over and over again wasn't going to solve anything.

"Mouuuu! Erina's a meanie. Not letting her poor cousin vent." Alice pouted.

"Well it's not that I don't want you to vent, but…." Erina hesitated. She wasn't used to things like this yet. Honestly, it was a very different experience. She never really had anyone "vent" to her about anything before as she never really had any friends of her own, besides Hisako, and she wasn't used to handling drama like this. Her and Hisako never really experienced things like this before. She felt like she was in a shoujo manga, like a side character consoling the heroine in need.

"Fufufu. Erina is so cute." Alice giggled at her cousin's nervous expression. "It's okay. I'm not expecting you to know anything or be able to solve my problems for me. It's just nice to have someone to talk to about them. I'm not used to having many friends to vent to either you know?" Alice smiled at Erina.

That's right, Erina had forgotten. Despite the way Alice acts and puts on the appearance that she knows so much about the outside world and has had so much experience with things, the truth was really the opposite, especially in terms of friends. Alice also only ever had her attendant Ryo by her side. At least Erina had Hisako, who was a girl her age, but Alice really never had any female interactions besides her mother and certainly no girl their age to go to. She wondered if Ryo was the one who would normally hear things like this.

 _"_ _If things didn't happen the way they did...we really would've been much closer, wouldn't we Alice?"_ Thinking back on their fractured relationship of the past. Even though Erina had Hisako, she wouldn't have been able to have a conversation like this with her before this year. Now she could and, even more shocking, she was having one with Alice. _"We really have changed."_ She smiled.

"I guess you and I are kind of similar in some ways then? The two sheltered Nakiri granddaughters." Erina giggled. Alice's eyes lit up at that, getting a little watery.

"Erinaaaaaa!" She cried, glomping her cousin in a big hug. "I love love love love you!" She added nuzzling her now very flustered and embarrassed cousin. Part of Alice's change is that she no longer holds back from doing things like this, at least only to Erina. "I'm going to send you so many text messages and keep you informed on everything and I know now I can vent to you too now. This is great!"

"Stop it Alice! And NO! Don't do that!" Erina said struggling to break free of Alice's grasp. Her cousin had become somewhat clingy and emotional towards her over these last two months. She didn't mind it too much, but it was a lot to get used to and sometimes Alice was a little excessive. "It's hard to keep up with you sometimes you know?"

Since Erina was sheltered and not allowed to do very much, being brought up in an environment solely revolving around food, she only recently finally figured out how to use things like a washing machine, a fact she was quite proud of by the way, but she wasn't so used to having to deal with Alice's rapid fire text messages.

She never really had anyone to text before as Hisako was always right by her so she rarely ever need to message her and she didn't really have anyone else to communicate with so she just never practiced texting like other people her age. She thought it rather odd since she was able to use a computer well for various business and culinary based reasons, but when it came to her phone and other forms of technology, her experience was limited.

However, Alice was rather well versed in technology and when she sent Erina a text message the other day, recounting the story she kept telling her, while Erina would be responding Alice would keep sending more and more messages, making it impossible for Erina to keep up.

"Hehe, it's fine, it's fine. You'll get the hang of it eventually. It's fun to learn and experience new things right?" Her cousin smiled, releasing her, giving her a look as if there was more to her words.

 _"_ _Learn and experience new things?"_ Erina pondered for a moment. That's really all she had been doing since she left the Nakiri mansion. When she thought about it, despite her father returning, the trials of the school, her grandfather getting voted out, despite everything bad that had happened, she couldn't deny that here, in this dorm, with these strange but welcoming people, Erina had experienced the greatest two months of her entire life.

"Yeah…yeah it really is fun." She smiled back at Alice.

Erina's eyes then began to scan around the room and look over all the faces, the faces of all the people who had given her that happiness, the people who had been there for her and came to understand her. As she looked around the room, her eyes unconsciously searched for one face in particular. The face that seemed to constantly be on her mind, even in her dreams.

She spotted the spiky red-haired boy sitting on the opposite side of the room next to Hisako. They were laughing together at something. The sight gave her strange feelings. She was happy that her friends were at ease and laughing, but there were other feelings she couldn't explain. She knew the two of them had become close over the Stagiaire, but something about thinking of them getting along well troubled her a bit. She couldn't help but feel that sometimes Soma would always be this room's length away from her. She couldn't help but feel that there was a distance between them that she just couldn't cross.

"Som-…Yukihira-kun he…he gets along well with everyone doesn't he?" Erina mumbled aloud. "Must be nice."

Alice heard her though and followed her cousin's gaze, realizing at the sight what she was probably upset about, even if she didn't.

"Fufu. Someone's jealous." Alice teased.

"Huh?! I'm not jealous of him." Erina huffed back.

"I didn't say you were jealous of him." Alice smiled slyly. "Obviously he gets along with everyone, but you do too now. You get along well with everyone here. They're all your friends now."

"Eh? Well…I wouldn't say…" Erina fumbled.

"Were you lying the day you asked all the girls to call you 'Erina' as true friends? Were you lying when you said how much everybody here meant to you?"

"No! No of course not. Not at all. I just…"

"Everyone here thinks of you as their friend you know? Boys and girls alike." Alice stated in a matter of fact way. "So it's not him your jealous of. Instead I think you're jealous of the girl next to him."

"Hisako? Why would I be jealous of her?" Erina fidgeted. She didn't like where this was going.

"Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe it's because she's laughing and getting along really well with Yukihira-kun." Alice teased again. "Perhaps that bothers you? To see the boy you made a special lovey-dovey breakfast for with another girl?"

"No that's…that's not it…that's…What?!" Erina fumbled. "Wait a minute who told you that?!" _"Damn it Yuki!"_

"Am I wrong?" Alice asked ignoring her question.

"Of course you're wrong! And it wasn't lovey-dovey!"

"Are you sure? Haven't you been spending a lot of time with him recently though?"

"Yes I'm sure. We've spent time together as friends, that's all." _"We're just friends! Why do people keep saying we're more than that?!"_

"So then you'd be okay if someone else started dating him?"

"Dat-Dating him?" She mumbled. "It doesn't matter to me!"

"Hmmm really? Yukhira-kun is a popular guy you know? I believe there's more than one girl who has their eye on him too. You don't care if one of them confesses."

"Like I said…It-It has nothing to do with me!" Erina was getting flustered now.

"Oh really? He's pretty cute you know? Maybe Hishoko has a thing for him?" Alice made a mental note to apologize to Hisako later for lying and planting that seed in Erina's mind. " _Sorry Hishoko."_ "You know they did get pretty close after that Stagiaire after all. A whole week with just each other. Who knows what happened?"

"Ehhh?! What? Tha-that's not true. They're just friends. She would…she would tell me something like that." Erina said trying to stay composed. The idea of Hisako liking Soma bothered her for some reason, but so did the fact that Alice thought he was cute.

"Then of course there's Megumi-chan and Nikumi. They might like him too." Alice was more confident with this idea. Actually, she though it was rather obvious that these two had a thing for Yukihira. As much as she has grown to care for her friends though, she was on Erina's side in this battle. _"It's a good thing Yukihira is an idiot when it comes to things like this otherwise one of those girls might have already won."_

"That's...I don't…." Erina was at a loss for words at these comments. _"Nikumi? Megumi? They might like Yukihira-kun? Like…"_

"You know if he dates one of them. They'll do all kinds of things couples do. You read all that shoujo manga right? You know what they do."

"I…that's…" _"Things that couples do…does that mean?"_

"You know…they'll hold hands. Perhaps they'll cook for each other. They'll go on dates. Or maybe…" Alice's eyes lit up with mischief as she leaned closer to Erina's ear.

"What? What is it?" Erina replied, hanging on her every word.

"…They'll kiss."

"K-ki...kiss?!" Erina stuttered, her face heating up. _"Yukihira-kun and…kissing…and…GAHH!"_ She screamed mentally at the very idea, which made her feel all sorts of feelings. Kissing was the most indecent activity in shoujo manga. It was the final battle. It was the climax of the story. Imagining it in real life was too much for Erina to handle.

"Does that bother you Erina?" Alice asked not backing down.

"No…I…I don't know." Erina hesitated. Her feelings were all over the place now. She didn't even know what to say. However, she had the feeling that, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, if Soma were to do any of those things with someone, she'd probably feel sad.

"You don't know. Hmmmm…okay!" Alice stretched a bit, as if preparing for something. "Let's find out then shall we?" Alice started to move, but Erina's hand grabbed her.

"What are you going to do?" She hesitated. Knowing Alice this would be something outrageous.

"Me? Well I'm going to go kiss him of course!" Alice grinned widely as if it was obvious.

"WHAT?!" Erina pulled her back because Alice just might do it. She was also glad most other people in the room weren't paying attention to them right now. The large group where most of her friends were seemed to be enjoying Ryoko's "rice juice."

"Why are you surprised? I said he was cute didn't I?" Alice feigned confusion. "Not bad for a first kiss, no?"

 _"_ _I…I don't want her to. I don't want…anyone to."_

Erina tightened her grip on Alice and, looking down, mumbled something too softly for her to hear.

"What was that? I didn't hear you?" Alice questioned.

"I said…you've…you've made your point." Erina said softly.

"It hurts right? Thinking that someone might kiss him or do those other things with him?" Alice asked knowingly.

 _"_ _Yes…yes it hurts."_ Erina didn't respond. She continued to stare at the floor, but no matter what Alice was right. It hurt. No matter how hard she tried to deny it. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it was true. Whenever she thought of someone, anyone kissing Soma, or doing any of the other things with Soma, like cooking for him or holding his hand or anything really…it… hurt.

 _"_ _Then…does that mean that I…but…I can't…it's impossible…right?"_

Before Alice could press further, Megumi, Nikumi and Yuki returned with a lot more food and ingredients, followed by Isshiki and Fumio.

"Attention please! Gather round, gather round everybody." Isshiki said. "There's a lot more food to be made here as you see, after which I suggest we relocate in Marui's room of course."

"Hey! Why is it always my room?!" Marui yelled only to be met with various giggles and shouts of agreement to the idea of relocating.

"But first…" Isshiki continued. "We must discuss the upcoming events. As you all know a couple of major things will be happening in the coming weeks. The third years will be graduating, you in turn will be starting you second year, and you will be going through the first trial, the first Free Study Period, aka the FSP."

"Free Study Period? FSP? What's that?" Soma asked.

"You don't know about them Yukihira?" Nikumi asked shocked.

"Typical. This is Yukihira we're talking about after all." Takumi chimed in.

"Oi!" Soma yelled, as his friends snickered around him. "I'm a transfer student remember?"

"You've been here for almost a year now!" Nikumi shot back.

"Ahh don't worry, it's okay. I expected this." Isshiki said knowingly. "The Free Study Periods are basically, exactly what they sound like. Actually, in a certain sense, they may appear at first glance, rather easy."

"Really? What exactly do you do?" Soma questioned.

"That's just it. They are literally a period of time in which you have to freely study." Isshiki replied.

"Time to study what? For what?"

"Anything! That is one of the interesting things about this challenge. You could literally do whatever it is you want during the period, which is roughly four to six weeks. The real meaning behind that though is that you won't have anybody telling you what to do essentially. Instead you have complete control over everything and you decide how to handle it."

"There has to be more to it. Something like that sounds too good to be true." Soma stated, confused.

"Ahhh, but of course and therein lies the real challenge. In the past there were always two things that went along with this challenge. First, before the period starts they will assign each of you a single word and that word can be anything, but is usually food related. This word is really a major hint at what it is you should be studying."

"Second, at the end of the period, there is an evaluation that you must pass in order to succeed. Part of it is a panel of judges that will taste the dish you create for them using everything you learned and did over the period, not unlike the many competitions you've been in so far. There are other factors as well though."

"Hmmmm. Something still doesn't seem right though. It still feels too easy in a way." Soma said.

"Fufufu. As expected of you to pick up on that. Yes. It is too easy and that is one of the major points. The truth is that if any of you served any of the dishes you made during your first year, provided they're related to the given word in some way, even those served in the Autumn Elections for example, you would fail instantly."

Various shouts of shock and disbelief echoed throughout the room.

"Even the ones that Soma, Ryo and Hayama made? Or the ones we made in Hokkaido?" Takumi asked. Most of them had heard of the FSP's besides Soma, but they didn't really understand the core challenge too much either.

"Yes. Those dishes are not of an acceptable quality. They're giving you over a month to work on a single dish. They want it to be beyond perfect. One of the key aspects of this challenge is that all that free time actually throws people off and that's one of the other factors I was talking about."

"Although you have a free and unrestricted time, the judges don't like to see certain things. Some people do nothing but cook all day and night, trying to figure out the perfect dishes. Other's don't cook enough or at all and just assume any relevant dish they know will do. Most people who do either of those things will fail as well." Isshiki explained.

"Instead they want to see you do something very creative and unique and show how you formed your dish. There have been some very strange and unique examples in the past where people have passed. One person stayed in a wildlife preserve and practiced dishes based on how popular they were with certain animals. Another person tried to understand his word by living near them, it was 'gorilla,' as it wasn't a word that you can create food with. Instead he focused on using foods that gorillas eat and other things related to their lifestyle, really giving it a gorilla theme. It was rather funny actually since he insisted all the judges eat his dish with just their hands."

"Whoooo. Wow! Now we're talking." Soma whistled. "So what other ways do people go about 'studying' during this time then?"

"That's another interesting aspect of the period. You actually have the opportunity to do a variety of things, including similar work you did during the Stagiaire. You can go work at a variety of restaurants during the time and the school will cover everything. It's sort of like a choose your own Stagiaire, provided there are enough spots left for students to take and that it is beneficial based on your word. You may end up in the jungle or desert after all. However, Soma, you could go back to work at Shinomiya-senpai's restaurant or any of the other restaurants you worked at during the Stagiaire, or you could go somewhere new entirely."

"Like I said though, don't forget about the word that is given. If the word was 'Italian' and you chose to work at a Korean restaurant, it might not help you as much. However, the word could be anything, like 'knife' or 'apple,' so the type of cuisine may not matter at all and a restaurant may not help you. Other things like technique or the presentation may seem to be more important depending on the word. Once the word is assigned, you will be able to decide from there, whether you want to work at a restaurant somewhere or you simply want to stay in the dorms and try new things on your own. Inevitably it becomes your choice and that's a huge part of the challenge. The judges really want to see what amazing things you come up with by yourself with no guidance or restrictions at all."

"That's a lot to take in. They really do let you do whatever it is you want huh?"

"Yes. You can have others taste your dish and give opinions beforehand as well, like all chefs do, but ultimately it must be individual so even we can't help you this time."

"Wow…this really is going to be a little different than what we're used to." Yuki commented.

"Yeah. It's almost too broad and there are so many possibilities. I don't even know if I'll be able to make up my mind." Megumi added.

"Exactly right." Isshiki added. "That's another problem many people face, but I have faith all of you will manage. There's just one more problem…"

"What?! There's more." Daigo and Shoji yelled.

"Yes. Isshiki-senpai only explained to you how the Free Study Period was handled in the past, last year, when my grandfather was in charge." Erina said

There was a silence cast over the room at Erina's words. That's right. They almost forgot. Central. Every challenge since Central took over has been completely derailed from how it used to be. Most of the school made it through Hokkaido by doing exactly what Nakiri Azami instructed them too. Only they faced a truly rigorous and difficult challenge. There's no question they'd be targeted again here. Luckily the judges have been neutral at least so if they could create something amazing…again, then they might be able to pull through.

"Yes that's the problem." Isshiki continued. "We don't as of yet know what Central will do, except for one thing. In the past, in order to make things fair and more interesting the words and who they were assigned to were actually publicly posted on a giant electronic screen for everyone to see. The many different judges who end up evaluating you will approve and validate the words at that ceremony. It happens the morning after the third year graduation ceremony actually. Then you have a few days to figure things out and the period officially begins and you're on your way."

"However, there are reports that Central is going to make the words private now to add suspense, or so they claim. The judges will likely be forced to accept this as well. You see traditionally they validated the words at the FSP announcement ceremony, however, that is not actually a requirement of the trial in the language of the trial rules. The judges just need to validate the words before they judge you so they would actually be able to do so immediately before your evaluation and since you would have spent the whole time working with your word, it would still be seen as acceptable. Also, another problem is that even if all the other students were given the same word, and they don't find out until the evaluation, it would still be considered fair because of some students were given the same word in the past and it was accepted, so it's not an unheard of or prohibited situation. In theory, everyone could have the same word if they wanted."

"They're probably just going to give everybody else the word 'gourmet' or something to that effect and then give us something crazy." Alice whined.

"That's exactly what they're going to do." Said a new voice by the door.

"Ahhhh, Kuga-senpai?! And…Megishima-senpai?!" Soma yelled. There were various other noises of cheerful surprise and acknowledgement. These two were part of the reason many of them had passed Hokkaido after all.

"Yo Yukihira-chin!" Kuga replied.

Megishima just gave a slight bow. He's a very quiet and mysterious person.

"Welcome you two." Isshiki said. "Glad you could make it."

"Oh you invited them? This is unexpected." Marui said.

"Yes. They were looking into the predicament we were just discussing. So, what did you guys find out?"

"It's as you feared. Thanks to Megishima's computer hacking and some information from my informants, we were able to find out that Central in fact plans to remove the screen at the FSP ceremony and announce this new private plan. Also the word is expected to be 'gourmet' as we thought and then all of you, besides Nakiri-chin, will be given some rather crazy and outrageous words." Kuga explained. "This list of potential words for you include: satellite, chair, igneous, knob, tire, and a variety of other strange words. They usually relate to food in some way, but this is ridiculous, even compared to some of the previous ones."

"That's so unfair!" Yuki snapped, as did others.

"Damn it Nakiri Azami!" Daigo roared.

"That's ridiculous." Ryoko snapped. "Everyone else is just going to have to do whatever Central tells them and they'll pass while we get something so extreme? Won't the judges be able to say anything?"

"Unfortunately their hands will be tied at this." Isshiki replied. "As I said, with the acceptance of the same word being used in the past for some, it's hard to deny. It's unfortunate, but it's a technicality and the school would defend their actions and the judges would have no basis to deny them. Plus, Central controls the Elite Ten and their influence is spreading to many other organizations and companies now that they are in charge of Totsuki. Many people are giving in just to keep their businesses alive."

"What are we going to do Senpai? I'm assuming if you were looking into it you have some sort of plan." Ibusaki asked.

"Honestly, we aren't sure." Kuga admitted. "We thought finding the words and maybe having you guys get a head start might help, but…there's too many here to prepare for."

Their faces seemed to fall at that. There was no way that could work. They needed to know their specific words now and even then it might not be enough. Not to mention they've been rather straightforward and battling Central head on with their cooking. Getting a head start was something they didn't want to do either as they'd be acting almost as underhanded as Central.

"Nakamura doesn't care about any of the old methods of competition and creativity. So long as he continues his schoolwide indoctrination practices and everyone follows the 'true gourmet' method, those students will move on. He knows that all of you never will and he will continue to strike where it hurts, by trying to chip away at your individuality and creativity by giving you impossible tasks while you're still being judged 'fairly'" Fumio said solemnly. "He's trying to break you down and crush your spirit. You must stand tall against him, even if your word is something outrageous, you've already made it this far under equally extreme circumstances."

"But how?" Yuki cried. "Before Erinachi and our Senpai helped us get through it, but this is another matter entirely. They are not allowed to do anything now and I don't think it would matter if they did. I mean satellite? Tire? Really? Do I make a dish shaped like a satellite?"

Various noises of anger and shock and sadness could be heard around the room. Before an unlikely person spoke up.

"There is…another way." The very mysterious Megishima said.

"Another way?" Nikumi asked.

"We can reinstate the old method. The original method." Megishima replied.

"How?" Isshiki and Kuga asked. He didn't mention this to either of them. Truth be told, even though he was their ally and a former member of the Elite Ten with them, he was always quiet and mysterious. One thing they knew for sure though, was that he was a genius when it came to technology, especially computers.

"If we can ensure that the screen is still functioning on the day that Azami plans to publicly remove it, then I can hack into it and upload a random set of fair words for the entire school and the judges to see before it happens."

"Wait a minute? Won't he just say it was a glitch or something?" Soma asked

"No wait this could work." Isshiki realized, understanding what Megishima was implying. "Azami wants to get rid of the old method to promote his 'true gourmet,' but he wants to still be seen as fair so he can't outright give everyone the word 'gourmet' and then only the rebels very outrageous words. The judges are technically still supposed to validate the words. If they saw the biased words initially then they would likely demand a fairer distribution, but if they saw no words until the evaluation day, they'd be forced into accepting it under a technicality really. However, if they are presented with a variety of words in the beginning like in the past, before Azami has the chance, then they could validate them and the trial can continue like it always has. Plus, he'd be in the public eye with this one as the ceremony has a lot of important people from all over attend it."

"So essentially we're going to turn his own method of trying to get rid of us against him?" Soma asked realizing now.

"Yes. Just like in Hokkaido, you all still had neutral and fair judges when you waged your battles, even though the rest of the school had an easier way. The fairness of the judges and the fact that you were among the strongest chefs, allowed Azami to promote this practice as fair to the outside world. Even though it clearly wasn't. Here, we are going to use that against him, except this time the whole school will have to go through the trial fairly now."

"Won't the Elite Ten just overrule this and do what Azami wants?" Soma pressed on. He still had doubts about the plan.

"In this instance, the Elite Ten cannot interfere once the judges for the evaluation approve of the words." Isshiki explained. "The trial is already approved of and the language doesn't state anything about what words should be used or if they should be publicly shown or not, so long as the evaluation judges approve at some point. They are actually attempting to exploit that loophole by removing the publicly shown tradition, since the judges just need to approve and they can do so in the beginning or right before the evaluation."

"There would be no need for the Elite Ten to change the language of the trial rules since they would be under the assumption that things would go according to their plan, as it doesn't say one way or the other that the words must be shown or that they can't be the same for everyone. However, when the evaluation judges see the random words show up at the ceremony and immediately approve, the Elite Ten will have their hands tied just like Azami because of the language they approved of and also because they need to keep face in the public eye."

"That means…that means we have a chance!" Yuki shouted. Various cheers of delight resounded throughout the room.

"We can do this!" Shoji yelled.

"Yeah!"

"Wait, wait, what about the screen? How will you be able to ensure that it is still operational on that day?" Erina asked this time. A lot of things needed to be taken into consideration and they couldn't afford to leave anything to chance.

"Leave that to me." Kuga said. "My guys and I will be able to make it work. He may also decide to cover it, but we can work around that as well."

They all felt a bit more relived at that. They were lucky to have such amazing allies here. Otherwise they really would be at a loss. Granted one thing was obvious now, this was no longer just a battle being fought within Totsuki, but rather the whole culinary world in general. The FSP ceremony is a public event that important and prominent figures throughout the culinary world would be attending. One wrong move and they could end up handing over everything to Azami. Totsuki just happens to be the battleground where the main war is being fought, but it's happening everywhere. If Azami has his way, any anti-true gourmet restaurants would be shut down and run out of business. All of this hung in the balance with what the rebels did. They needed to beat Azami at his own game in order to truly succeed.

Erina in particular was feeling all kinds of emotions now. She had had a very tiring day mentally. Discussing the upcoming trial was one thing, but her earlier conversation with Alice is another thing entirely. She really didn't know now what to think of her feelings regarding Soma. Looking around the room, she could see hints of what Alice had been talking about, Nikumi and Megumi seemed to gravitate towards him as well. Without realizing it though, she seemed to do the same, as before she knew it, she was right next to him again.

"Senpai, you also mentioned the third year's graduation ceremony, what does that mean for the Elite Ten? Won't some of them be graduating?" Soma wanted to know. He was happy they had a plan about the FSP, but he was also interested in the fates of Tsukasa and Rindou and some of the others. They were among Central's biggest supporters and most powerful pieces after all.

"Yes indeed." Isshiki added. "They will be, as will Megishima-kun here. However, you can also expect to see them at the FSP ceremony too as it's the day after and some third years are known to attend. We don't know exactly what will be happening to the open spots on the Elite Ten, but Azami will likely try and replace them with whatever current first or second years that meet his requirements."

"Tch. Darn." Soma replied. He couldn't help but be a little disappointed. He really wanted to have a serious match with Tsukasa again and maybe others like Rindou at some point.

"Are you disappointed Soma-kun?" Megumi asked, now standing next to Soma. There was a lot to take in, but she had a pretty good idea why Soma would be disappointed that some of the Elite Ten were leaving. He was the shokugeki maniac she fell for after all. She at least was able to understand that much about him, even if her love issues were becoming far more complicated.

"Ahhh, yeah. I really wanted to have a serious rematch with Tsukasa again before he was no longer a student. Now I'll have to face him when he's an alumnus."

"Rematch? Again? Huhh?!" Some of the people around them said.

"Yukihira-kun you never said anything?" Hisako asked.

"Ohh yeah, I guess I didn't. Oops." Soma responded.

"HUH?!" Takumi and some of the other uninformed people shouted at this. "You had a shokugeki with Tsukasa?!"

"I don't want to talk about it." Soma pouted.

Sounds of shock and awe resounded throughout the room, but suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Erina burst out in a fit of giggles. She started laughing so hard that she could barely breathe. Erina thought that this was exactly something Soma would do. It summed him up entirely. It was so "him." If anyone could have a shokugeki with the first seat of the Elite Ten and forget to mention it to people later or not consider it that big a deal, it was Soma.

"Oiii!" Soma huffed, annoyed, to the giggling girl next to him. "What are you laughing at?"

"Sorry…hahahaha…this is…hahaha…just…so like…hahaha…so like you." Erina laughed. She couldn't help it and she couldn't stop. With the serious and troubling thoughts she was having, and certain possible realizations she had earlier about the boy next to her, this fit of laughter was exactly what she needed.

Even when he wasn't trying to, even when he didn't mean to, even if it was an accident, he cheered her up again. He made her feel happy and excited. It was like all the uneasiness she had washed away because of his silliness.

"So like me?" Soma questioned. "Hey are you making fun of me? I was serious about having another match you know? Also this is partially you fault. You were one of the judges after all."

"EHH?!" Many people were shocked at this.

Erina could barely stand up she was laughing so hard. Hisako also started chuckling as well, partially at the memory of the previous battle and Soma's antics, but partially at the sight before her. Alice also smiled at the sight.

"Erinachi you knew?" Yuki asked in disbelief. "You were a judge?"

"Haha…yeah…haha." She was trying to calm down, but could barely breath, the whole thing was so funny to her.

Hisako, who was in a better state was able to explain and recount the story to everyone who didn't know. How they were the judges to that battle between the first seat and Soma. Others around them were a bit shocked at the ordeal. Some were still shocked at Erina's actions, thinking that she really did indeed change. Some though, particularly those like Megumi who had witnessed a rather close scene between the two before, well, they had other ideas.

 _"_ _They really do get along now huh?"_

Megumi had mixed feelings at the sight. On the one hand she was really happy that Erina now felt comfortable and open enough to end up in a situation like this. Even her liking Soma. If that was true, she even felt happy for that. She understood that for Erina having such feelings was extremely difficult compared to most people, given all that she went through. On the other hand, she was afraid that Soma was slipping away from her. That she had lost her chance.

 _"_ _Maybe I…maybe I should give up…"_

 _"_ _No! I can't do that!"_

Her thoughts were conflicting, but giving up after everything, she couldn't do that. That would betray everything she ever felt for Soma and she knew that. She loved the boy who never gave up no matter the odds. The boy who put his all into everything. She knew what she needed to do. The only thing she could do was face this head on just like he would.

 _"_ _I need to confess."_

Making up her mind, Megumi resounded that she would do it soon. Not today, she needed to prepare, but soon.

 _"_ _I'm sorry…Erina-chan."_

-0-

The large group began to disperse a bit as the party was going to relocate to Marui's room, much to his annoyance, but everyone else's delight. Some people flocked around Soma and the still giggling Erina. Soma was still berating the blonde for her laughing, and she in turn was trying to speak but kept failing at it. Some people laughed along with them and others were trying to get Soma to explain more about the match, particularly Takumi. Others began making more food.

Finally, at the announcement by Alice and Ryoko, that they needed help with various rice based juices that needed to be brought up to Marui's room, most people around the spiky red-haired boy and the honey blonde volunteered. Isami forced his fuming brother along to help when Alice handed them both a bottle to carry.

"We'll continue this later Yukihira!" Takumi yelled.

Soma and Erina were now alone as their friends were busy doing various things, mostly moving to Marui's room.

"Fufufu." Erina giggled a bit again.

"Would you cut that out?" Soma fumed. "It's been almost ten minutes of laughter with you."

Soma was a bit annoyed, not really at her laughing though, but the conversation with Hisako and everything else made him far more aware of the various feelings that the giggling blonde instilled in him. Plus, the idea that he thought she was cute earlier and the fact that the very same thought kept bombarding him the more she giggled was really messing with him.

 _"_ _What's wrong with me?! This is Nakiri…Na-kir-i. The Nakiri who refuses to be honest about your cooking. She'll scarf down an entire bowl of your cooking and then call it tolerable at best. That's right, she refuses to admit my cooking is delicious. We've become great friends, but there's no way she is cute."_

"Ahem…hahaha…*cough cough*…sorry." Erina said getting a hold of herself. "It's just, it really was such a 'you' thing to do. To not tell anyone you battled Tsukasa and act like it wasn't a big deal. But then the pouting and your reaction. I just couldn't control myself. It was so funny to me…haha…hahaha" She began laughing again.

 _"_ _This girl…this sometimes insufferable girl."_ Soma thought. The girl before him had brought about so many different feelings in Soma. She was on his mind constantly in recent weeks that it became abnormal for him not to think of her. Maybe he even found himself enjoying it when she was on his mind. The two of them really have been through a lot since he started here, with a rocky start to now being one of his closest friends.

Actually, when he thought about it, he owed her a great deal too, for so many different things. She was the first person he met here and, despite everything else, he couldn't imagine his life without her in it now. He didn't want to imagine it.

As he examined her smiling and laughing face. As he saw how carefree and genuinely happy she seemed right now. As he thought about all the other memories he had of her from the time he met her, whether it was her chewing him out or criticizing him for something, whether it was her nervous or embarrassed faces, whether it was "that" night a few weeks ago, or any of the many other moments they had spent together or even right now. He thought only one thing.

 _"_ _Maybe…maybe she's…pretty cute after all."_

"Sorry…sorry." Erina panted, finally calming down, again. "I'll stop."

"Here, drink this." Soma handed her a glass of water.

"Thank you." Erina drank it, but noticed he was staring at her rather intensely. "What are you staring at?" She asked, her face reddening.

"Ahh sorry, sorry. It's just…" He hesitated.

"Just what?" She asked.

"You look pretty cute when you laugh." He said turning away from her before quickly grabbing a bottle of the rice juice, continuing not to look at her. "Well, better bring this up to Marui's." " _I can't believe I just said that! Time to go!"_ With that he left, both very embarrassed and beet red.

Erina for her part was frozen in place at his words.

 _"_ _Cu-cu-cut-cute-CUTE! That idiot! There's no way I like him!"_

She thought as she began to get extremely red as well. Her mind was racing, thinking of various thoughts and having all kinds of feelings swirl around because of his comment. One thought overpowered them all though...she enjoyed it when he called her cute.

 _"_ _Well…maybe…maybe just…a little bit…"_

-0-

Meanwhile at a room in the Nakiri estate, it was as if a bomb went off. Kitchen equipment and food strewn everywhere. A variety of things like plates and tables were broken. It was pure chaos. Sitting in the middle of the chaos was a dark black haired boy fuming with a mix of emotions. Rage, anger, hate, but also sadness, despair, and guilt. In front of him was a small note attached to something.

"AHHHHHHHH!" The boy screamed out in pain before falling forward and leaning on his clenched fists. Tears began to stream down his face.

 _"_ _I'm so sorry…I'm sorry Ojou-sama! I failed…I'm sorry…Alice!"_

The handwritten note read:

 ** _Dear Kurokiba Ryo,_**

 ** _Thank you for your cooperation in the matter we discussed. Be sure to comply with everything as explained in our meeting or the consequences I told you about will undoubtedly occur._**

 ** _Don't worry, this is for the best. You made the right choice. Please attach the provided badge to your uniform._**

 ** _Nakiri Azami_**

 ** _P.S. Welcome to Central!_**

* * *

 **So what did you guys think? Let me know.**

 **The trial was particularly difficult to get through, but the reason was because I needed to have a certain setting and amount of time for certain characters, as you will see in the future. I tried anyway haha. I assure you though that it is integral to the ship building in this story, especially Sorina! So look forward to that.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Thank you to all of you for the amazing reviews, follows and faves. I really appreciate them. I just want to let you know that, in case you get notifications for this (I'm not sure you do), I will be going through the first three chapters over the next few days and correcting some typos and other minor mistakes I found. I wanted to get this next chapter up for you first. Anyway, if you see any extra alerts, that's all it is.**

 **Hope you like this one. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was a bright and clear morning and most of the Polar Star Dorm was fast asleep, recovering from the late night partying and shokugeki waging they had immersed themselves in most of the day before. Unsurprisingly though, one dorm member, ever the early riser, Isshiki Satoshi, was hard at work outside behind the dorm.

Isshiki was renowned for his uncanny ability to be full of energy very early in the morning, regardless of how little sleep he received or how much energy he used the previous day. Even the boy himself couldn't fully explain his own energy, but as he had been following this schedule since the early days of his childhood, he assumed his body just evolved itself to be like this over the years. He was always like this and that wouldn't change.

Currently Isshiki was busy clearing the fields and planting new seeds as the spring season was upon them. He considered waking up one of his friends to help him, but given their state last night, he came to the, very unlike him conclusion, that he'd let them sleep. Even he didn't want to mess with his juniors all the time.

He had Soma help him the other day with this task, as well as help him with various crops in the greenhouse too. The potatoes in there had just recently grown in and were ready to be picked, something he graciously let Soma handle. However, now it was time for many of the outdoor crops to be planted, something he also let Soma handle, but there was still a lot more to be done before the fields were truly ready. Many things, that only Isshiki himself could actually do, as his secret farming techniques could actually be considered the preliminary prep work and ingredients for many of his dishes.

Acquiring that truly fresh and nature based flavor was his specialty, but it required a lifetime of rigorous training in farming and agricultural based techniques in order to perfect that flavor. Yet, Isshiki also had great experience in other areas as well, particularly when it came to things like business and city life. He was the product of a rather unique life.

Isshiki had grown up on his mother's farm and immersed himself in nature. However, at the same time, his father was a businessman and had a lot of ties and connections in various cities, so he was travelling constantly and Isshiki would sometimes tag along. As a result, Isshiki found himself gaining a lot of experience in both of these two very different worlds.

Although Isshiki mainly lived on the farm for most of his childhood, there were various periods where he went traveling with his father and learned quite a bit about various businesses and industries as well as the city life. Still though, he found that he resonated most with that rural lifestyle and more importantly nature in general. However, it wasn't until Isshiki started to cook and discover things about food and himself that he found his true calling.

Isshiki didn't have the same experience as many of his friends who were from a family of elite chefs or the heirs to restaurants and large food empires. Neither of his parents were professional chefs. Truth be told, his father wasn't much of a cook at all. His mother though was a great cook, albeit not professionally, but it was her homemade cooking and use of the ingredients she cultivated and grew herself that really inspired Isshiki in his own cooking. With that in mind, he began to cook on his own.

At first he didn't know exactly what he wanted to do with his cooking, but when he remembered the various food he ate on city trips with his father and how the freshness and flavor varied and was inconsistent, he came up with the goal that he wanted to bring that freshness to as many people as possible. With that he eventually entered Totsuki, and here he was.

 _"_ _It's about time I had something to eat."_ Isshiki thought as his stomach growled. He usually woke up and jumped right into whatever work he planned on doing. He saved eating for a little after he began his work. _"Hmmm. Maybe I'll have a western style breakfast today."_

After gathering a few of the eggs from one of Yuki's chicken coops, they all shared their ingredients with each other, he made his way back inside into the kitchen. However, to his surprise, the kitchen was occupied.

As he stood in the doorway, he realized he was once again going unnoticed. _"Am I really that light on my feet?"_ He questioned. _"Perhaps I should have been a spy or a professional thief?"_

He decided to observe the female chef as she focused intensely on what she was making. He was surprised to see her there, but thinking on it, perhaps he should have expected this. The girl seemed to have a serious aura about her recently, like she was very determined to do something. He had a good idea about what that was too. The girl's blue hair was tied back as she focused on the dishes before her. Every so often she would taste her dish and shake her head if it was wrong. It seemed like she had been at this for a while. The way she focused on her recipe and her own unique graceful manner of cooking was a beautiful sight to Isshiki.

 _"_ _I wonder if this is how Soma felt."_ He was reminded of the similar situation between Soma and Erina a few days ago when she made him breakfast. They were, at least so they thought since they didn't know he was in the ceiling above, alone together in the kitchen in the wee hours of the day.

He had been a little frustrated with Soma in recent weeks, but it was mostly due to his obliviousness towards Megumi and the suffering that would probably cause her. Still, he couldn't blame the guy completely. After meeting Soma's father and having lived together with Soma for months now, it was obvious he was clueless when it came to anything related to romance, as his whole life revolved around food. In a certain way this made him realize that Soma and Erina were really made for each other. The finer points of their relationship aside, they have so much in common in a general sense with both of their lives being primarily devoted to food. Isshiki was actually happy for them. He saw these newfound feelings as something that will help both of them grow tremendously, as chefs, and people.

 _"_ _Love truly is a strange thing. It can impact a person so much that their whole life is turned upside down. It can be a wonderful experience."_ Thoughts about love brought his mind back on the girl cooking in front of him. In regards to his own love, he'd just keep it to himself for now. It wasn't the right time and it was rather obvious anyway how it would turn out if he did anything. _"Ahhh, that's right…love is also…painful."_

Thinking about it, unlike the obvious mutual attraction between Soma and Erina in the kitchen the other day, it was quite different in this situation. Instead, it was two people suffering from a one-sided love. Seems like they had that in common.

"Hahahaha…" With those thoughts in mind, Isshiki began laughing. He couldn't help but find them funny. _"How cruel and funny fate can be."_

"EH?!" Megumi was startled by the laughter behind her. "Ohh, Isshiki-senpai, good morning!"

"Sorry…hahaha…Good morning Tadokoro-chan, a funny thought popped into my head. Didn't mean to startle you."

"That's okay!" _"Senpai really is light on his feet."_

"I'm rather surprised you're up early given the festivities of last night." Isshiki said. He really was because even though Megumi was known for getting up relatively early, she would still sleep in late like everyone else after a long night of fun. He had his ideas about why she was up though and they all involved a certain red haired boy.

"Ahh well, I just felt like waking up early I guess." Megumi hesitated. The truth was that she had resolved yesterday to confess to Soma and to do it soon, but those thoughts ended up infiltrating her dreams and so she woke up because of that. Instead of lying awake and thinking of him, she decided to try and make a dish for him instead. She knew he probably wouldn't be up for a while, but she could play around with some new ideas until then and really come up with something great and have him try it later. At least that was her plan. Things weren't really going her way recently as far as love went. "Anyway, what about you Senpai? You were still awake when I went to bed so why'd you get up early? I know it's part of your usual routine and such, but don't you ever feel like sleeping in? Even only if on rare occasions?"

"Hmmm. I suppose I don't." Isshiki thought about it and it just wasn't like him to sleep late, barring unique circumstances like pulling all-nighters and things like that. Surprisingly the partying well into last night didn't count as that. "I would have to be extremely tired for that or there had to be some other unique reason."

"That's just like you Senpai." Megumi giggled. "Always the early riser, even if you were up so late the night before."

"Yeah and of course I don't want to waste too much of my youth sleeping after all."

"As expected of you Senpai." Megumi nodded her head in a matter of fact way.

"Exactly. So, I see you're cooking there. Just trying out some new recipes or is it something else?" Isshiki asked

"Uhm…well I was just experimenting with certain dishes. Just trying new things." Megumi fidgeted. She didn't want to let him know that she was making something for Soma. She remembered all too well the teasing Erina suffered because of that and she probably couldn't handle the embarrassment.

Plus, there was also that other thing that Isshiki said to her that day, about making him a special dish. She didn't really understand that either and she'd be lying if she said it also wasn't on her mind. Part of her wanted to ask him about it, but part of her wanted to hold off. He hasn't acted like that since then and nor has he brought it up, so she still wasn't even sure if she imagined it or not. It was a very strange thing for him to say after all.

"New dishes? Ah, I know!" Isshiki exclaimed. "I was planning on making breakfast myself and maybe a couple other things so how about we taste each other's dishes while we cook? And if either of us has any criticism or advice, we won't hold back okay?!"

If Megumi was planning on making something for Soma, like he suspected, then she'd have his full support. Just having her smiling, whether it was at him or someone else, was enough for now.

"Alright. I like that idea." Megumi smiled. She was happy at that and glad the Isshiki was acting like usual.

And so, they spent the next few hours of the early morning, cooking a variety of dishes, and giving advice and criticism when needed. Although Megumi couldn't find as much to critique, as she was sure he could, she never once felt any form of pressure or tension when giving helpful criticism to Isshiki. She couldn't explain why, but despite his Elite Ten level prowess in the kitchen, he never once made her feel intimidated. Instead, in a certain way, she found his presence to be rather welcoming and comforting. It was a fun and peaceful time.

"So what do you think of this one?" Isshiki asked as he pushed a small portion of the most recent dish he was working on over towards Megumi.

"Wow! It's very delicious Senpai!" Megumi said excitedly. Isshiki had a unique way of adding a fresh and invigorating flavor to all his dishes. Megumi was always amazed at his ability to do that. He was even able to use a lot of out of season vegetables he grew in one of the polar star greenhouses. It was truly extraordinary what he could do. "Here try mine."

Upon eating Megumi's dish this time, Isshiki felt a wave of comfort and loving warmth wash over him. Megumi's dishes always gave him this great feeling. He could also taste the many subtle differences in her cooking compared to some of the earlier dishes she had made from when he first met her. She truly had come a very long way. One thing was for sure, this was a truly delicious dish and he couldn't get enough of it.

"It's delicious Tadokoro-chan…truly delicious." Isshiki smiled brightly at her in a way he hadn't before.

Megumi froze at that smile. It was different from before. She didn't quite understand it, but it was almost captivating. His eyes even held a similar feeling to that other time a few days ago. They seemed to have both a gentle and sincere light to them, but she thought there was a hint of something else behind them as well.

BEEP! BEEP!

The chiming of Isshiki's phone shocked Megumi out of her gaze. _"I wonder what that was?"_ She pondered.

"Ahh, sorry Megumi. It seems this message is rather important so we'll have to stop here." Isshiki said looking at his phone.

"O-okay!" Megumi stuttered. "Thanks for all your help Isshiki-senpai!"

"No problem and same to you. Your advice was pretty helpful too." Isshiki said. "Oh and one more thing…" Isshiki leaned in close, as if to whisper something. "Good luck Tadokoro-chan!"

With that he left, once again leaving Megumi frozen in place.

 _"_ _EHHHH?! DOES HE KNOW WHO MY DISH IS FOR?!"_

As Isshiki chuckled to himself while heading back to his room, he began to read the message he received.

 _"_ _Ohh ho ho…seems like we'll be getting some rather interesting guests later. This should be fun!"_

-0-

 _"_ _You look pretty cute when you laugh"_

 _"…_ _pretty cute…"_

 _"_ _Cute"_

 _"_ _C-c-cut-cute…Cute…"_

"KYAAAAAAA!" Nakiri Erina released a muffled scream into the pillow she was hugging, while rolling in bed. To say that she had a restless sleep was an understatement. How could she sleep when thoughts of the day before kept replaying over and over in her head and even in her dreams. The boy who had been on her mind more than anything the last few weeks had told her she looked cute. Sure he said it was when she laughs that she looked cute, but that still counted right?

Anyway, it didn't matter, he used the word "cute" as an adjective to describe her and even strengthened it by adding the word "pretty." For reasons Erina couldn't explain, the fact that Yukihira Soma, the boy who she may or may not have potentially developed some semblance of a romantic inkling towards, called her cute and she felt happier than ever. She felt like she could fly or that she was lighter than air. Every time she replayed the memory her heart would pound. She felt giddy and excited, reminding her of some of the heroines in the shoujo manga she read. It was exhilarating. She loved it.

It wasn't an easy day though after he said that however. First, when she inevitably went back and joined in with the party in Marui's room, she took her time doing it mind you, the two of them avoided each other's gazes almost completely. They seemed to be careful not to interact as best they could too, but a few brush ups and accidental encounters (it's the biggest dorm room, but it's not that big) really caused her a lot of embarrassment. Needless to say, there was quite a bit of blushing happening on her part, she didn't even want to directly look at Soma, so she couldn't say for him. Luckily, most of their friends had partaken in quite a bit of rice juice at this point, so they didn't seem to notice. Even the all-seeing Alice seemed to be distracted by something for the rest of the night.

"Yukihira Soma…." She whispered. Even saying his name brought about slightly different feelings than before. Or perhaps they just felt like stronger feelings than before since she was more aware of what those feelings meant.

 _"_ _Okay. So…I li-li- may-maybe li-lik-like him? No. No wait…maybe I lo-lo…lov-love him."_ Erina didn't know exactly why, but she thought "like" was just too weak a word to describe what she felt. It kind of reminded her of her admiration and childish crush for Saiba. When it came to Soma though, they had been through so much together and it just felt like her feelings were growing stronger by the day. _"Yeah. This must be love. I need to say it out loud."_

"I lo-lo-lo…" Erina stuttered. This was harder than she expected it would be. _"What is wrong with me? I am THE Nakiri Erina. I am THE God's Tongue. There's no way such a thing as this should be difficult for me. It's just saying one sentence."_ Erina tried to encourage herself.

"I…lo-lo-lo…lov-love…Yukihira-kun." Erina whispered and it felt wonderful to finally say it, but she needed to go just a bit further. _"A little further Erina. Say his first name, like 'that' time."_

"I love…Soma-kun." She said it. She finally admitted it after everything that's happened. She had finally realized what these feelings were. Why the boy always had such a unique effect on her like nobody else could ever have. How he could manage to rile her up and infuriate her to the point where she wanted to kill him while simultaneously breaking all her barriers and making her feel all sorts of wonderful emotions she'd never felt before.

 _"_ _I wonder how long I've really loved him for?"_

When she thought about it, ever since she met him, he has been causing her to feel and experience things she never felt before. To say though that she loved him since then, is probably stretching it, especially since she thought he was mocking her. Instead she probably would say she realized it on "that" day some weeks ago.

She had been planning on thanking Soma around that time and had been thinking a lot about how to do that leading up to "that" day, but once the day finally came, once that moment came, she realized things were different. She also remembered there was that slight awkwardness between them at the onset of most of their interactions following that time, although it seems to have dissipated since then. Her feelings however, were certainly different. "That" day was one of the main subjects of her dreams in recent weeks as well.

 _"_ _Yeah…it had to be since then. Maybe there were some feelings building up before then, but that specific day was the tip of the iceberg, and ever since then my feelings were much stronger than before. Ever since the annual Totsuki Culinary Academy Holiday Ball…I've been falling more and more in love with Soma-kun."_

As she thought more about it, that day just had to be where her feelings really started to grow. When she found out who his father was, she realized how wrong she had been and they became friends, but after that and once the Ball happened, her interest in him grew even more. They spent so much time together since then as well. A lot of that time just with each other.

 _"_ _Well…I'm sure I'll be dreaming about it again tonight, so no sense thinking about it right now."_

With that Erina, stretched and decided it was about time to get up. She felt like she had a ton of energy given her newfound feelings. It was an incredible experience for her and she was excited about what would happen from here. However, as she cheerfully began to get ready, a thought occurred to her that froze her in place.

 _"_ _Wait a minute…what am I supposed to do now? How should I act now? Am I supposed to…"_ "con-con-confess..." Erina whispered aloud the last word. Suddenly her mind began spinning. Was she supposed to confess now? Is that the next step? _"Am I supposed to tell him?!"_

She was at a loss. She had only just realized what these feelings were, but now…now what? She realized she was in love, but so many other things started to rush back into her mind. Reality was overwhelming her.

 _"_ _Should I tell him? Would he even reciprocate my feelings? Am I allowed to tell him? Am I allowed to feel this way? Am I allowed to…love?"_

Before she knew it, various memories and images of her life were racing through her mind. In her recent stupor and giddiness, she had forgotten them. They were buried deep within her, but now they were resurfacing. They were overpowering her. It was like they were turning back time, almost like she was regressing back to the way she was before. Back into the dark.

 _"_ _As expected of the God's Tongue…a true culinary genius…"_

 _"_ _Look! It's the God's Tongue…should we say something? No way…she's way above our reach…we can't approach her."_

 _"_ _The Nakiri line is in good hands with the God's Tongue as the successor and heir…_

 _"_ _She'll go far…she's the God's Tongue after all…"_

 _"_ _Erina-sama please taste this dish…Erina-sama please give us your guidance…Erina-sama…Erina-sama…Erina-sama…"_

 _"_ _DISGUTSING!"_

 _"_ _TRASHHHH!"_

 _"_ _GARBAGE!"_

 _"_ _OWW!…FATHER STOP IT….IT HURTS!"_

 _"_ _DO AS I SAY!"_

Erina was panting for breath, shaking. Somehow she had ended up back on her bed and clinging to her pillow again. Tears streaming down her face as various dark memories of her past kept resurfacing in her mind. The darkness that had been plaguing her for so long.

 _"_ _Now, now Erina…remember that only the food I approve of is considered delicious…"_

 _"_ _Just…follow…Father…"_

 _"_ _Come Erina we have a full day of dishes for you to taste…remember what I taught you…"_

 _"_ _True Gourmet…"_

 _"_ _Disgusting!"_

 _"_ _Central will guide the world to culinary greatness…all opposition is worthless commoner trash…"_

 _"_ _NO! STOP!"_

 _"_ _You are the possessor of the God's Tongue…your life has already been decided…"_

 _"_ _Central!"_

 _"_ _Gourmet!"_

 _"_ _Disgusting!"_

 _"_ _GOD'S TONGUE!"_

 _"_ _STOP!"_

Erina couldn't take it. So many terrible memories of her past bombarding her at once. Reminding her of her fears, of the darkness that wouldn't leave. The darkness always there deep within her. Reminding her that she was not meant to love. That she did not need to love. That love was not something that the God's Tongue or heir to the Nakiri family would ever require. She imagined her father's shadow looming over her whispering to her and telling her that she was the successor of the "True Gourmet." It would be her who continued her father's work. It was like an icy cold chill that wouldn't leave her body. She hated it. She wanted it to go away. She wanted all of it to stop. She tried to clear her mind. She tried to think of something, anything other than her terrible past.

 _"_ _Anything to make these memories stop!_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _"_ _I call it…Transforming Furikake Gohan!"_

 _"_ _Soma-kun…"_ Erina began to feel warm again at the memory of their first encounter. Her heart beat happily in the warmth she felt thinking of Soma or saying his name.

 _"_ _It wasn't much!"_

 _"_ _Soma-kun…"_

 _"_ _Happy to serve!"_

 _"_ _I feel those who only recognize one 'right' way will never go beyond and reach truly amazing things."_

 _"_ _Soma-kun…"_

 _"_ _The journey is no fun if you know where you're going."_

 _"_ _Soma-kun…"_

It was as if that warmth, like the light in her dreams, was washing the cold darkness of her past away. _"I won't let Father take this feeling…this love from me."_

 _"_ _Soma-kun…"_

 _"_ _You look pretty cute when you laugh."_

Erina began to feel that lightness again, that gleeful feeling. The tears falling turned into those of happiness. She also began thinking about her friends and the memories they made too.

 _"_ _Erinachi!"_

 _"_ _Erina-chan!"_

 _"_ _We're your friends Erina-chan!"_

 _"_ _Welcome to the Polar Star Dorm Nakiri-san!"_

 _"_ _Here's some herbal tea if you like…"_

 _"_ _Erina-sama I've brought the manga you asked for…"_

 _"_ _Erina! Let's go play at the pool!"_

Erina felt like her pain was subsiding. Like that darkness was subsiding. _"That's right. I'm not alone anymore. I have friends now. I have…love. I won't let Father take these things away from me. No matter what happens…I will not go back to the way I was before. I will not carry on Father's wishes. I will resist him. I will defeat him. I will move forward together with these people here…my friends and…Soma."_

With that in mind, Erina got up and washed away the tears she shed. She resolved to continue the goal that she and her friends had. They would defeat Central and her Father no matter what. She didn't know what the future held. She didn't know what Central and her Father had planned. She also knew her time at the dorm may even be limited. She may even be forced to return to her Father once more, but…she would not give in. She would fight him every step of the way. She would never give in no matter what. Not anymore. As far as her love goes…

 _"_ _No matter what happens. Possible or impossible, it's irrelevant. All that matters is that I love him. I know that now. Confessing or not…well…I still don't know anything about that, and the timing with the FSP and Central…as long as I love him and cherish these feelings…that's enough for now."_

-0-

Nakiri Alice was feeling determined. She couldn't wait any longer. She didn't want to keep fighting. Today she would finally make up with Ryo. She didn't like this…silence between them…she hated it. She wanted everything back to how it was before they fought. She couldn't explain it, but being apart was causing her to feel all sorts of things. She felt depressed, sad, lonely, and everything she did seemed like it was lacking something, like something was missing, like part of her was missing. All of it was unbearable for her.

Only more time has passed since they fought and Ryo was being incredibly stubborn about this whole thing. She was getting worried as it was very unusual for them to stay apart this long. She had even tried texting him and calling him this morning, but to no avail. She didn't care if he was still mad or if he yelled at her or threw a fit, she wasn't running this time.

Unfortunately, she was still the only one who communicated anything "rebel" group related to him, so neither of them ever bothered having Ryo exchange numbers with anybody else really. Although she thought maybe he and Soma did, but she forgot to ask him.

"Alright! I can do this!" Alice yelled to the forest around her as she made her way back to the Nakiri estate. She had just left the Polar Star Dorm, but got a late start since they were all partying well into the night. It was partially her fault since she always brewed some rather interesting liquids for them to drink.

She only recently got into creating various juices and other beverages. She found that it was rather fun using gastronomy to make some of these drinks and it became something of a pastime for her. It was her recent friendship with Ryoko that sparked this. The two of them actually hit it off in Hokkaido as they ended up in one of the divided rebel groups together. As she was still getting used to having friends, like her cousin, she wasn't sure about getting as close with some of the other girls just yet. However, her newfound bonding with Hisako and her mended and deepening relationship with Erina were allowing her to grow close to others now.

Actually, since Hokkaido, she had been working on some interesting drinks with Ryoko, who gave her some of these ideas, so, she hoped that she would continue to grow closer to some of the other females in the Polar Star group as well. Oddly enough, it was also Yuki and Megumi, as well as Erina, who encouraged her to go and talk things over with Ryo as she eventually ended up telling them last night a little bit about what happened, since they asked where he was.

"Yeah…they're all really great. Erina's lucky…fufufu maybe I'll move in there next." Alice giggled aloud. "I wonder how Ryo would handle living there?"

She wondered if they'd be able to adjust to his berserk and calm mood switches. _"Hmmm…well they have Isshiki-senpai and if you can adjust to him, adjusting to Ryo-kun shouldn't be that hard."_

 _"_ _Ryo-kun…"_

Thoughts of Ryo had once again filled her head, increasing her desire to see him. She decided to quicken her pace back. _"I want to see you Ryo-kun…where are you?"_

Part of her couldn't help but worry that he was still mad, even if she wasn't going to back down. Another part of her, although very small, was worried that something happened to him. Despite them fighting, this was not like him at all. He'd never go this long without contacting her in some way.

They've been separated at various instances in the past, but usually due to expected circumstances and never for very long. In Hokkaido for example, there was a small period of time where they were placed in separate groups, but things turned out okay and they kept in contact. Now though, Alice couldn't help but worry. The more she thought about it, the more something just seemed off.

 _"_ _I should've went back soon after that day. I should never have run away…damn it! Why are we both so stubborn Ryo-kun?"_

Alice finally made her way back into the Nakiri estate. She knew exactly where she was going to go to. She wasn't going to stop at her room or anything else, she was going straight for Ryo's door.

As she reached his hallway, she noticed that it was quiet. Too quiet. It was unlike him. She expected him to still be training or something at least, or maybe even just cooking or working out. Anything would be fine, but silence was strange. _"Maybe he's sleeping?"_

Upon finally reaching his door, Alice began to knock, but noticed the door was ajar and it seemed like the light was off.

"Ryo-kun?" Alice pushed the door open and flipped the light switch.

Alice gasped in shock at the sight before her. The room was…empty. There was nothing there. There wasn't even a sign that anything ever was in the room.

"Ryo-kun?!" Alice ran into the empty room and looked around the corner, beyond the sight of the door to see if there was anything at all. It was a large room, more like a large studio apartment so there had to be something.

There was nothing. Ryo's bed, his clothes, his personal belongings, all his furniture, even the private kitchen that was installed and the cabinets and other things, all of it was gone. The closets were empty too. Everything, everything was gone.

"RYO-KUN?!" Alice began to panic now as she ran to the center of the large empty room. She didn't know what was happening or where he went. She began to spin around looking all over the room. She wondered if she was dreaming or if this was a joke. She clutched her head as various thoughts raced through her mind.

 _"_ _What's happening? What's going on? Where's Ryo-kun? Why is his room gone? How did this happen? Is this my fault? Is it what I said?"_

She tried to calm herself down. There had to be a valid reason for this.

"Ohhhh, if it isn't Alice." Said a voice from the entrance of the room, and for the first time ever, that voice struck fear in Alice.

 _"_ _He never comes down here. He shouldn't be here. This is too much of a coincidence. This must be his doing."_ Alice thought while not yet turning to face the voice.

"How are you my dear niece?" Nakiri Azami said in a dark, albeit cheerily manner. "What, may I ask, are you doing in this room?"

"Un-Uncle…" Alice turned. She wouldn't cower from this man, this terrible man. Composing herself, she continued. "Where is Ryo-kun?" She said firmly. "Why is his room empty?"

"Hmmm…Ryo-kun? Room? Who or what are you talking about?" Azami responded in a seemingly confused manner.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about." Alice stated angrily. "He's my…assistant. Where is he? What have you done with him?"

"I'm sorry my dear, I truly have no idea what you're talking about." Azami said smiling innocently. "Are you perhaps ill?"

"Don't mess around with me. You have no right to interfere in my life." Alice said raising her voice, approaching the man. "Now, why is his room empty? What did you do to RYO-KUN?!"

"Ahh, I think it's best if you calm down. Everything will be quite alright I'm sure." Azami said in his incredibly arrogant and condescending manner. "This room will now be a storage room. I've had all the trash in here discarded."

"WHAT?! This is Ryo-kun's room! What are you talking about?!" Alice shouted.

"Please my dear, remain calm." Azami said feigning reassurance. "Hmmm…Ryo-kun, Ryo-kun…you keep saying that name…hmmm."

"Don't screw with me Uncle! You have no right to interfere with me. You're no parent or guardian of mine. Tell me where Ryo-kun is!"

"Hmmm…Ryo-kun, Ryo-kun…" Azami said while stroking his chin. "Ahhhh, I remember now. Ryo-kun yes, yes I remember. He was that deplorable mongrel that used to follow you around on occasion right?" Azami added darkly with a sinister smile on his face. "I remember it would occasionally sleep in here. The poor thing."

"Wha-what di-did you say?" Alice said frozen at his words, an eerie chill running down her back.

"Oh my dear, you have no need to worry about that 'thing' anymore." Azami said reaching his hand out to caress her cheek. "As the western saying goes when a dog becomes useless, it is 'put down.' You won't be seeing him again."

"Wha-what are you saying? What did you do? Where is he?" Alice brushed his hand off and backed away from him. Her eyes were wide in shock. "My-my parents…I'll call my parents…they won't allow this."

"Your parents? Ah, but I already spoke to your Father. We were in agreement my dear." Azami smiled brightly.

"No that's…not true…that's not…possible." Alice's mind was spinning. She refused to believe this. He was lying. He had to be lying.

"He has to be here. You have him here somewhere. Yo-you…you did something to him. RYO-KUN?!" Alice pushed past her Uncle and ran into the hallway. Tears began to swell in her eyes as fear and panic overwhelmed her.

"RYO-KUN?! RYO-KUN!?" Alice screamed as she ran down the hallway. _"He has to be here. He has to. I need to find him. Please let me find him!"_

"It's no use my dear, he's gone!" Azami shouted back to the screaming and frightened girl.

 _"_ _GONE? NO! NO that can't be! I need to find him!"_ "RYO-KUN?!" Alice shouted and turned the corner away from her uncle.

Alice ran and yelled all through the mansion. In and out of rooms, screaming at attendants and employees to help her, but none would listen. She was alone. She needed to find Ryo, she had to find him. He couldn't be gone. It was impossible. Her uncle was lying. He had to be lying. Finally, she reached her own room.

 _"_ _What can I do? Think…think. Ahhh, Mother! Mother will help me. She'll know what happened."_

Alice frantically pulled out her phone and began to call her mother.

"Hello…" Leonora answered.

"Mother! Mother listen to me something terrible has happened." Alice yelled, crying on the phone. "I think Uncle Azami did something to Ryo-kun. I can't find him Mother! He said Father already knew? What's going on Mother? Please tell me. Please tell me what's going on."

"Alice…" Leonora sounded different. She was hesitating. "…I'm sorry Alice…I'm so sorry. There's nothing we can do. I'm so sorry."

"WHAT?! What's going on Mother? What's happening?"

"I'm so sorry Alice…" Leonora was crying now, sobbing with her daughter. "Ryo…He…I'm sorry…he can't be by your side anymore…You can't see him anymore…I'm sorry…so sorry…"

Alice dropped the phone at her mother's words. She didn't know what was happening. _"Ryo-kun is…gone…he's gone? Why? What's going on? Is this my fault? Did he leave because of what I did or is it something else I did? I wanted to apologize. I wanted us to be together again that's all. I just wanted him by my side again. I wanted us to have our food battles against each other. I wanted to laugh with him again and talk to him and eat with him and just to see him. Why?! Why is this happening? Where are you Ryo-kun?"_

Alice dropped down to her knees, by the foot of her bed. There was a throbbing pain in her chest unlike any she ever felt before. She could hear her mother still calling out to her from the phone, still on the line. Tears were cascading down her face and she cried out in agony.

"RYO-KUN! I'M SORRY!" Alice bawled through her tears as she laid her head onto her bed and continued to cry. "Please come back to me Ryo-kun…please…I need you…I…"

Meanwhile, near Ryo's empty room, Azami just stood there alone, listening to the sounds his niece made as her sobs could be heard throughout the mansion.

"Ohh Alice…poor girl. This is only the beginning." Azami laughed sinisterly.

 _"_ _That was a beautiful look on your face, my dear niece. I can't wait to see that frightened and weeping face again. I'd save some tears though; it won't be long before Erina returns to my side after all. Do you understand now…the difference between us? How foolish it was for you and your naïve and petulant rebel friends to challenge me. I look forward to slowly breaking all of your spirits. One by one you'll fall. In the end, a kitchen will only seem like Hell to all of you. It'll embody all your fears and make you realize just how inferior you really are. You'll never set foot in one again. Your disgusting and disgraceful culinary practices will be extinguished from the world."_

"Ahhhh…I can't wait!"

-0-

A few days ago:

Kurokiba Ryo was feeling a combination of angry, frustrated, annoyed, and now…guilty. He had just told his master, Nakiri Alice, to "buzz off" and that he didn't "give a damn" if she went to find some other more docile person to attend to her.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Ryo growled. He was calming down now compared to his lashing out at his master a few minutes ago. He took his headband off too. He didn't mean what he said and he knew she didn't either, but he had been so angry since this morning that it wouldn't have mattered who it was, he would have likely lashed out at them.

Earlier this week he had a run in with Saito Somei, the sword wielding Elite Ten member. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him too much, but he ended up encountering him twice that day. The second time he was alone and on his way to get something for Alice and the guy actually had the audacity to tell him he should practice a certain culinary technique a little more, the same technique he used in their match in Hokkaido. Of course this pissed him off in general, but what really set him over the edge was that: first he actually said this to him when he barely spoke during their match, and second he waited nearly two months after their match, a match that Ryo won, to make this stupid comment. It infuriated him.

Of course he relieved his anger through cooking the last few days, but it wasn't really too bad and in fact this morning he was fine. However, just a little while before Alice showed up, he received a message from one of Azami's lackeys telling him that he needed to report to his office later today. Now that made him angry. He had no desire to even go near the maniac for a director that Totsuki now had. He was even more angry at the director now because he had lashed out at Alice too. He didn't get to tell her about the summons either.

 _"_ _I'll have to apologize to her when I get back later."_

He really was upset that he lashed out at her. Even if he didn't show it often, he really did care for Alice quite a bit. In the beginning, when he first met her when they were children, she was rather frustrating to him. How condescending she could be to him and how annoying she sometimes was. Yet, he couldn't explain it, but as time went on, he grew to rather enjoy her presence and he began to respect her. Not only that, but she continuously beat him at cooking for two whole years. It took him two years to develop his skills enough to beat her.

He remembered the face she made when he finally did beat her. She was a little teary eyed and annoyed at him, she challenged him again too. He was taken aback by how she looked. It was the first time he ever saw her that way. He couldn't explain it really, but new feelings arose in him that day, feelings he just didn't understand even now. Still, one thing he knew, after looking at her then, he finally accepted his role as her aide. He finally acknowledged her as his master. He wanted to keep challenging her with their own mini food battles forever, and he wanted to remain by her side.

Following her would allow him to improve his skills in ways he never imagined, it would allow him to experience things he never thought possible. That's how he felt at that time anyway, and still does today. Plus, a part of him also just enjoyed having her around, even by that point when they were kids. He thought the idea of her being gone was terrible, even if he never once expressed that to her in any way. He wondered if that was part of the reason he was always on guard anytime they ventured outside or not. Unconsciously, he found himself glaring at anybody, particularly any male, who dared approach her after all. He remembered one particular situation when he went with Alice and Erina to a pool. He chalked it up to a habit as her aide, which also included guard duties, but part of him thought it might be for another reason too.

 _"_ _I guess it's not important right now"_ Ryo thought as he continued to cook.

The time of his summons was approaching and he was seriously considering ignoring it, but he had the feeling things would get ugly if he did. Ryo wasn't afraid of physical altercations and in fact he was rather good at them to be honest, but it usually annoyed Alice if he got out of hand so he resolved not to engage in them if possible. Sometimes though his rage would just take over.

 _"_ _Well…I better get ready to go."_

With that in mind, Ryo began to clean up the kitchen in his room and put away any uneaten food and any leftover ingredients. It didn't take him long to clean, as he was rather efficient at cleaning. He had developed the skill over time when he was head chef in his restaurant and then it only improved when he began being ordered to clean various things by Alice.

"Hehe, she can actually be rather lazy and sloppy herself sometimes." Ryo snickered to himself. For all her prowess in the kitchen involving a lot of precise scientific and technical methods and practices, sometimes Alice got a bit lazy. It wasn't all the time, actually it was rather rare, but there were a few times where she'd have him help her clean up her messes in the kitchen, which usually meant she'd tell him what to do and watch.

Back when they were kids though, the cleaning involved other things, like parts of their house where they lived, when he moved in. Of course there were tons of servants in the house so it wasn't like Alice had duties other kids had, or that he had. However, on rare occasions her parents would discipline her by having her clean up various places, more specifically her room.

He had one particular memory of her asking him to help clean her room in secret, since she was supposed to do it alone. Normally, this was fine, but they happened to be getting a little older at this point and were more aware of certain things and changes. So when Ryo accidentally knocked a bin of Alice's clothes and particularly underwear on him from inside her closet, well her reaction of fuming with anger and embarrassment, calling him a pervert and slapping him out of the room was probably justified. That still didn't prevent him from yelling back at her though.

"That was a fun day." Ryo laughed.

That fight reminded him of this one a little bit. If he recalled, he uncharacteristically made her some food as an apology, even though he knew he wasn't in the wrong, but she accepted it with a beaming smile, so it was fine in the end.

 _"_ _That's just how she is I guess. My master sure is a handful."_ Ryo smiled at the thought. No matter how many times she got mad or they fought or something happened, seeing her smile at him in a way that she only really did around him was something he'd always enjoy. Of course he had the feeling he enjoyed her annoyed and embarrassed faces a bit too. I guess most of her facial expressions just had a unique effect on him.

Knock! Knock!

 _"_ _Ohh I wonder if that's Ojou-sama? I didn't expect her to come back though. Usually, I have to go to her. Wait…it couldn't be…"_

Ryo went and answered the door. He had an idea of who it might be.

"Hello Kurokiba-san. We've come to escort you to the director's office." Said one of Nakiri Azami's men. There were about ten men behind him as well, along with another rare sight, Saito Somei, with sword and all.

"Gahhh. What is this?" Ryo spat. "Afraid I wouldn't show?"

"The Director simply wanted to give you an escort." Said the same man, who seemed to be in charge. Saito remained silent.

"Escort huh?" Ryo glared at the group. "Well, there's no need. I was just about to make my way over there."

"The Director insisted we escort you so if you'll please follow us." Said the head guard.

Ryo nodded and began to follow them. He had no desire to start any trouble here and he really was going to go to the office anyway. They couldn't fool him though; they were clearly here to force him to go one way or the other. If Saito was here, then that means he must also know how to handle himself.

"Tch." _"They're afraid of me, but this guy walks around the school with a giant sword like it's natural. What a crazy bunch of people Central has."_

As they made their way to the building where Azami's office was, the guards eventually left as they got inside the hallway with the office. Only Saito silently remained. Ryo was getting a little fed up with him though.

"Why are you even here?" Ryo finally asked him.

"I'm simply observing." Saito replied.

 _"_ _Observing?! What the hell? This guy…"_ "How annoying." Ryo growled.

"You should try and calm that temper in the future. It might lead you to make a mistake." Saito said.

"What the hell did you just say?!" Ryo snapped back.

"We have arrived." Saito said, ignoring his comment as he knocked on the door.

Ryo couldn't press him further as a voice beckoned them to come in. Upon entering, Ryo noticed that the office was rather grandiose. He'd never been in here before. The old office, the one the former Director Nakiri Senzaemon used, was no longer being used as the Director's office. Ryo assumed that since his master's grandfather still lived on the campus, he continued to use that office for his purposes, but since he was powerless there wasn't much else he can do. Azami likely had no intentions of using the office of a man he hated anyway.

In the center and towards the back of the large ornamented and pompous room was the desk behind which Nakiri Azami sat. There was a man standing next to him that Ryo assumed was his attendant. There also happened to be two large men by the door they just walked through. These men were easily twice the size of the other men who came with them here.

"Welcome, welcome Kurokiba-san!" Nakiri Azami sang. "You may leave Saito-san."

Saito nodded and left the room.

 _"_ _What a strange guy."_ Ryo thought as Saito left.

"So, Kurokiba-san, how are you doing today? How is my dearest niece and darling daughter?" Azami asked smiling. "As I'm sure you're aware, they're not very fond of me right now."

"Listen here, I'm in no mood for wasting time chatting, especially with you." Ryo snarled. "I'm not FOND of you either. I don't care that you're the director, I don't take orders from you. I came here willingly, so just get to the point of what it is you want so I can leave."

"Now listen here bo-" Said the man next to Azami, but Azami put up a hand to stop him.

"Now, now. It's quite alright." Azami laughed. "You really do have quite the temper don't you? And you're not even wearing that signature bandanna right now…my, my."

 _"_ _So they caught onto that huh?"_ Ryo thought. He didn't exactly keep it a secret per se, but the bandanna held a special meaning for him and putting it on caused him to act in a far more heated, enraged, and highly focused manner. Ryo assumed it had to do with the battlefield of a kitchen he grew up in and anytime he was there he had the bandanna on which meant the war in the kitchen was on. When he had the bandanna off, that generally meant the fighting was over and he was "safe" so there was no need to keep it on and have all that energy. That's how his body acted anyway and still to this day.

Ryo didn't exactly realize the switch necessarily, but he retained all his memories and everything, so it wasn't exactly like he had two completely different entities living within him. Instead, his personality just became more fired up and emotion fueled whenever he put the bandanna on, but it usually just correlated with anger and determination. He could still easily get angry without it though; it just wouldn't be as much as with it.

"Of course we know all about you. Far more than your fashion sense." Azami continued.

"Grrrr." Ryo was growling in frustration and glaring at the man now.

"Fufufu, alright, I'll get to the point." Azami chuckled. "Kurokiba-san, if I told you that you were no longer going to be Alice's aide and to have no more contact with her, what would you do?"

Ryo froze at his words, his eyes widened in shock. He couldn't even believe what he just heard him say.

"What did you just say?!" Ryo said darkly. "What the hell did you just say?!"

"Ahh as expected, you'd be annoyed. I take it you wouldn't do it right?" Azami asked smiling.

"Obviously not. I already told you I don't take orders from you." Ryo snapped. "I'm leaving; this is a waste of my time."

"Ahh, I know, I know. I understand. You follow Alice and by extension her family." Azami laughed. "I was joking, please wait a minute Kurokiba-san, let me preface my comment first." Azami said. "Kurokiba-san, do you know what position I hold?"

 _"_ _What the hell was that comment? What is this guy playing at?"_ Ryo was visibly pissed. He didn't like where this was going.

"Well?" Azami asked eagerly.

 _"_ _How stupid."_ "You're the director." Ryo gritted.

"Yes, yes exactly. I am the Director of Totsuki Culinary Academy." Azami said in a grand manner, emphasizing each word. "Do you know what that means?"

Ryo didn't respond at this comment. He didn't exactly know what he was getting at and he truthfully didn't want to engage with this man any longer. The original comment he made still rang in his ears.

 _"_ _I don't like this."_

"I don't expect you to know the appropriate answer so I'll answer for you." Azami said with a knowing smile. "That means, that I hold, arguably, one of the most powerful and influential positions in the global culinary world, and without question the most powerful position in the Japanese culinary world."

 _"_ _This bastard! How full of themselves can one person be?!"_ Ryo was getting more and more frustrated at Azami's words, but kept silent.

"Ahh, but I'm sure you knew that." Azami smiled. "It's still rather funny to me though, that a group of impudent children seem to think their actions will change anything or have any real consequence. You and your rebellious friends are so adorable."

 _"_ _THIS GUY! THIS INFURIATING BASTARD!"_ Ryo was struggling to keep silent here, clenching his fists.

"Ahh, I see you're getting a tad impatient. Let me continue." Azami said cheerily. "You see Kurokiba-san, my ingenious father-in-law left the system in place whereby he could get ousted as the director. To think that the Elite Ten would never overthrow him was ludicrous, but that was only the beginning of his mistake. It's the very nature of the authority and power of the Director position at Totsuki that I'm referring to. He made this position so powerful that it's influence weighs more than any CEO of any food based company. It has power and control on all continents of the world. It has more influence and prestige than any restaurateur or famous chef could ever dream of. My reach, my ability to spread my "True Gourmet" ideals has never before been so easy. This power is nearly unlimited when the Elite Ten is completely on your side as well. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

"Talk about being full of yourself. How arrogant!" Ryo finally snapped. "I didn't come here to listen to you drone on about how great you think you are."

"Fufufu, so feisty, how funny you are Kurokiba-san." Azami laughed again. "Ahh, but don't worry, that was just a broad introductory explanation. Let me get into more detail of why I'm telling you this and why this should matter to you. First, I should say that my position allows me to buy up a great many restaurants worldwide, small and large, and simply do with them what I wish. I can even close them immediately or have them destroyed. It's really rather easy you know? Even those who refuse to sell can be ousted in other ways. For example, here's a copy of a deed to a restaurant I recently acquired. I think you'll like this one."

Ryo begrudgingly took the paper from Azami. He really didn't want to bother with this guy anymore, but it seemed entertaining him was his only way out. More men had gathered near the entrance of the door, equal in size to the two huge guards originally there. Finally reading the paper, his eyes widened in horror at the words he read.

"So Ryo? What do you think I should do with that place? Hmmm." Azami smiled slyly. "Should I tear it down and fire all the employees? Perhaps I should have them re-educated in the ways of "True Gourmet? Then there's the town as well. I was thinking of buying that too and experimenting with it. What do you think Kurokiba-san?"

"YOU BASTARD!" Ryo yelled. He unconsciously put the bandanna back on his head. He felt like running straight at the vile man in front of him and pummeling him to the ground. He was suddenly flanked by multiple men however, and some of them even moved on either side of Azami as well, anticipating Ryo's thoughts.

"Oh come now Kurokiba-san, there's no need for such language." Azami said calmly, but Ryo could sense the condescension coming out at every word, that he was being looked down on. "This is just a run-down establishment, attracting commoner trash from an old forgotten town in Denmark that has less significance than a garbage dump. There's no need to get angry over it."

"Why you..." Ryo was seething in anger now. That was his town, that was his restaurant, that was his home. This bastard of a man had no right to say anything about them or do anything to them.

"Now…I'll ask you again, if I were to tell you that you were no longer allowed to be the aide to my niece and that you were no longer allowed to have any contact with her…what would you do?" Azami smiled sinisterly.

Ryo's eyes widened. He realized now what he was supposed to say, what Azami wanted from him. This insufferable man wanted him and Alice separated. He wanted to break them away from each other.

 _"_ _Ojou-sama…."_ A flood of memories poured into Ryo's mind. It was similar to what he imagined people meant when they say they saw their life flash before their eyes, except all of these memories had one thing in common, they were all of Alice. They were all the memories he had with his master…with his friend. Yes, she was his friend as well as his master. His first and only real friend for most of his life until recently. These memories were beyond precious to him in ways that he couldn't explain. He had vowed to serve her and be with her forever. Yet, this treacherous man before him wanted to sever that relationship solely because of his insanity. He would even literally destroy Ryo's home in order to do so.

 _"_ _My home…the restaurant where I grew up and became head chef…everything."_ Not all of his memories of his home town were pleasant. In fact, many were not. He struggled there, he fought to survive there, and he made something of himself there. No matter how good or bad it was, it was still his home. More importantly though, as he thought about it, there was something that went beyond all of that…which that restaurant…that town gave him.

 _"_ _That was the restaurant where I met her…Ojou-sama…Alice."_ Yes. Those were the memories that overwhelmed him the most. The memories of their time together their as children. She was the memory he treasured above all from that time. He knew there was only one answer he could give this man.

"I would continue…to be…her servant." Ryo said darkly, looking Azami straight in the eyes with such ferocity, daring him to challenge him. For a split second, Ryo thought he saw a flash of a frown pass over Azami's face, but it quickly morphed into an even wider smile.

"Tsk…tsk…tsk Kurokiba-san. Ahhh, I expected this though." Azami said confidently.

 _"_ _Expected this?!"_ "What the hell are you even saying?!" Ryo fumed, yelling in anger and impatience at the man. "These questions are ridiculous anyway. You can't make such demands. You have no power over Alice and can't make any decisions on who is or who is not her aide."

"Quite right Kuorkiba-san. Quite right." Azami laughed again. "You should have paid more attention to what I said earlier though. I'm the Director of Totsuki Culinary Academy with a majority backing of the Elite Ten, and that position gives me authority remember? It gives me authority over a great many things, including the many different industries and companies of Totsuki and those related to Totsuki, as well as all of those related to the Nakiri family. Do you understand?"

Ryo was seething with rage now. _"He couldn't be referring to…he wouldn't dare…"_

"Perhaps, I don't have the authority to remove you as Alice's aide directly, but I do have the authority to let's say wipe out the molecular gastronomy department of Totsuki International. Or threaten to disband all those involved with molecular gastronomy and have the culinary method blacklisted on a global scale as a method unfit for the "True Gourmet" world I envision. You know I owe that idea partially to you. When you defeated Kusonoki, who was using a heating variant of molecular gastronomy, I realized how weak and useless that type of culinary practice is. Certainly it's unfit for the future of Central."

Ryo was angry, pissed, infuriated, enraged and so much more. So many emotions were racing through him. So many negative emotions. So many terrible thoughts passed through his mind. He couldn't take much longer listening to this. That this terrible human being would go this far just to separate him from Alice.

"Besides all of that though, I could also have the Research Division Head of Tōtsuki International replaced for a variety of examples, least of all incompetence. My sister-in-law is rather stupid you know? Ahh, there are so many things I could do, and you know what I've already begun. The reformation of Totsuki International begins next week, and molecular gastronomy being lambasted as a disgusting and worthless cuisine globally, will soon follow. Not even the lowest of restaurants will allow for molecular gastronomy in their kitchens once our campaign is over. All the wheels are in motion. Alice's father even called me to beg for me to stop, to plead for the salvation of his wife's and daughter's dignity. He said he would agree to anything I asked. Anything at all. Do you know what I asked him for Kurokiba-san?"

Ryo was at a loss. Anger and rage clouded his mind, but an overwhelming feeling of insignificance washed over him. It was like he was a weak and worthless child all over again. He fell to his knees right there in the office. His fists slammed on the ground. He heard Azami stand up and begin to walk around his desk towards him.

"You know, when I told Alice's father that I simply wanted his full agreement in having you removed from Alice's side and no longer allowed to be in contact with her, he was overjoyed that it was something so simple. That it was such a trivial request and I would, at least for now, delay the turmoil that may befall his family. Ahh, kind of makes you realize just how insignificant and meaningless you really were to that family; makes you realize how insignificant a pitiful mutt like you really is, eh Kurokiba-san?"

Azami was standing in front of Ryo now and kneeled down towards him, a sinister and sadistic look in his eyes as his glare pierced right through Ryo. "So I'll ask you again, if I told you that you were no longer allowed to be Alice's aide and that you were no longer allowed to have any contact with her whatsoever…what would you do?"

Ryo faced the floor. He felt empty inside. He felt hollow. All his rage and anger dissipated and insignificance took over. He couldn't protect anything, especially not Alice. He had failed her.

"I would…agree. I would leave her side." Ryo had lost. He was powerless. He truly was still weak.

"Excellent answer Kurokiba-san. Excellent answer." Azami said returning to his desk. "Let's see now, down to the finer points of what happens now. Don't worry, I have no intentions of expelling you. In fact, I need you, you're going to become a valuable asset to me. I find it amusing actually that all of you continue to fight so hard. Why do you think I simply didn't have Tsukasa and Kobayashi crush all of you in Hokkaido? Because this is too much fun. Breaking the spirits of the naïve and incompetent is an incredibly enjoyable experience." Azami laughed darkly. _"Taming a rabid and bloodthirsty dog is even more fun!"_

Ryo didn't even care. Anything, he said to him now was meaningless. His whole life had been destroyed in a matter of minutes by the man before him. This truly deplorable human being was able to completely destroy a person just by talking to them. Even Ryo had all the fight knocked out of him, and he didn't even get a chance to move. That was how much of a monster Nakiri Azami truly was, and all for the sake of his insane ideals.

"You'll be relocated to a dorm run by Central on the other side of the campus, far away from the Nakiri mansion and your Polar Star friends. All of your classes with Alice will now be switched around, but actually I don't think you'll be attending any classes, as I'll explain." Azami seemed like he was enjoying every second of his explanation. "Ahh, and should you happen to see Alice at all, I know she can be quite persistent, you will ignore and shun her to the best of your abilities. Generally, you'll be near a lot of Central staff with orders to prevent any contact between you two, but you will also need to actively steer clear from her at all costs on your own and you are not allowed to communicate with her about anything here or in general. I'm sure she'll find out in some other manner, but it's irrelevant. You are no longer allowed to associate with any of the other members of that rebellious group as well, do you understand?"

Ryo could only give a nod at Azami's instructions. It was over. He was over. He had no choice, but to leave everything behind for the sake of Alice. In order to protect everything that she held dear, he would even have to leave her behind. In order to protect her, he would avoid her and shun her and anything else, so long as it would keep her safe. Keep everything that she loved safe. Her family, her cooking, her way of life, all of it. There was nothing Azami could tell him now that would have a worse effect on him than what he already did.

"Oh and Kurokiba-san…." Azami said looking down at Ryo from his desk with the most sinister of smiles on his face. "There's just one more small thing you need to do…"

-0-

Present day, the day after the polar star party.

Yukihira Soma was extremely tired. He had just woken up a little while ago and it was already late in the afternoon. They had all stayed up late for so long last night that he almost didn't remember what happened. It was probably his fault though for making the bad decision of staying up late last night, when he hadn't been getting a lot of sleep the few nights before either. Suddenly a thought popped into his head as he was making his way downstairs to the kitchen.

 _"_ _You look pretty cute when you laugh."_

Soma's face began to redden rapidly. He nearly forgot he said that to Erina yesterday. Embarrassment was flooding over him.

 _"_ _Did I really say that? Why the heck did I say that yesterday? What was I thinking? How am I going to face her?"_

As these thoughts were overwhelming him, he was down the stairs and by the front door and on his way to the kitchen when he thought he heard something by the door, snapping him out of his racing mind and emotions.

Knock Knock!

When Soma opened the door, he was shocked on who was waiting on the other side. There were two people. The first was the Food's Demon King himself, Former Director Nakiri Senzaemon and the second was….

The Demon King nodded in greeting to Soma, but behind him…

"Yo Soma!" Said a tall muscular man waving at him, with his typical trademark cocky grin he knew so well. Soma saw it every day in the mirror, after all, he inherited it from him.

"DAD?!"

* * *

 **And there you have it. Let me know what you think. Are these chapters too long? I tend to enjoy longer stories and longer chapters so I write that way if I can.**

 **On another note, in case you haven't read chapter 184 yet, the manga has recently given us some more insight into both Hayama and Azami. I think I got his threatening and extortion/blackmail-esque personality down haha. I might edit the story slightly so Soma knows a little bit about what he found out about Hayama and the Shiomi seminar, but maybe not. I won't be able to keep up with all the changes eventually and I clearly went off on my own here haha.**

 **Anyway, I guess we'll see. Thanks again for reading and let me know what you think if you can.**


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